


Magical Memory Tour: Australia

by TheGreatDukeBerith



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: (Raw Writing please be patient there may be many errors), Angst, Consensual Sex, EWE?, F/M, M/M, Magic Loss, Post War Recovery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-03
Updated: 2017-03-15
Packaged: 2018-09-28 01:49:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 116,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10064084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGreatDukeBerith/pseuds/TheGreatDukeBerith
Summary: This is a multi-author piece a roleplay between myself and my fabulous partner Emily, who has agreed to allow all of our hard work to be shared with the world. Thank you Emily I couldn't have done this without you.The war is over and Draco Malfoy is alone and surprisingly so is Hermione Granger. After what could be called fate draws them together they embark on a journey to restore Hermione's parents memories. This journey will bring them closer than either of them ever belived possible.





	1. I didn't expect to be here...

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter 1 - I didn't expect to be here...
> 
> An unexpected meeting leads to a strange partnership.  
> ______________________________________________

The war was finally over, yet it seemed like that was only one small victory in the grand scheme of Hermione Granger's life. With the defeat of Voldemort she, Harry, and Ron, along with a bunch of others, were all deemed war heros. With that title, came a lot of public appearance. The 'brains of the Golden Trio' wanted nothing to do with the fame that came with the end of the war. She made it publicly known that there were much better uses of everyone's time and resources than to throw parties and keep asking the same questions during interviews. The time to recover from the war was now. Post war times were always hard. Poor Ron had lost a brother, poor George a piece of his soul when his brother died. Harry lost his owl, and even though she didn't much like the creatures she could empathisize with the loss. Poor Dobby had also died, along with countless others. It was the nature of casualties in war that had led her to do what she considered an unthinkable. Obliviating her parents was one of the hardest things the curly haired witch had ever done, which was why despite the war being over for a few months she had yet to go and find them. She missed them dearly, but she was worried they would be mad at her. 

Not wanting to burden any of her friends with this problem of hers, she had focued instead of helping her two best friends heal. She also worked hard in some of the rebuilding efforts from the war whenever she could. It was only one day recently that had made Hermione realize that she needed to get her family back now more than ever. She needed to heal from the war herself. Although, she timed her trip fairly well. Harry and Ron had both jumped at the chance to begin their auror training. She waited until training was underway before telling them that she was going to go find her parents and bring them home. Both boys wanted to help, but she denied it, insisting on doing this alone. Not to mention that they both had responsibilities back here to take care of. Neither one happy, she promised to check in with them periodically no matter what. 

Another matter she had addressed with the ginger man she cared deeply for was their status. It was a hard, awkward conversation, but she forced it to happen and felt that she was in good standing with him, considering she told him that she thought of him like a brother and did not want to jeopardize their friendship over something that she didn't really feel any longer. War changes perspectives, and she was glad she had used some of her Gryffindor courage to have that conversation before she left. It was fairly secret that she was leaving too, what with only those she cared about knowing and a handful of other officials from the ministry. Having not wanted to be an Auror, or really wanted anything to do with dark wizards because of the war, the new minister had agreed to let her sort out the situation with her parents before she officially said no to anything the ministry would offer. She also wanted time to really think over her options, she wasn't called the brightest witch of their age for nothing. 

It was while she was picking up her portkey, which was scheduled to leave the following day, that Hermione decided she would pick out a few new books to take with her. She knew she would spend most of her time searching, but she wasn't exactly sure she would be able to get their memories back without doing research first. Luckily, her favorite Diagon alley store, Flourish and Blotts, always seemed to have something she was looking for. It was here, in her favorite sequestered corner of the bookstore that she sat with a small stack of books (small for herself anyway) next to her chair as she thumbed through a book in her lap, a special ordered travel guide to Australia with information on the wizarding locale. She had a few other bags strewn almost carelessly next to her stack, as if guarding it. While she read she seemed fairly lost in her own little world, only moving to turn the page or occasionally brush hair from her face when it slid from behind her ear. 

After the war Draco had spent months on the run with his parents until they were tracked down by the ministry and they were sent to Azkaban Draco got off light only staying a couple of weeks his parents on the other hand not so much. His mother had stayed in Azkaban another two months before the ministry decided to put her under house arrest. His father was still in Azkaban waiting to be taken for the Dementors kiss it was unlikely Draco would ever see him again. After he was released Draco went off on his own and found himself a flat surprisingly in the heart of muggle London as he tried to figure out what he could do to fix the mistakes he'd made during the war. 

When Draco was younger in school he'd always idolized his father he'd always wanted to be just like him. As the war had come to a close though he'd realized how disgustingly manipulative his father was and how the morals he'd been raised on were themselves flawed. He'd always been taught that magic, especially strong magic rested in the pureblood families of the sacred twenty-eight. But time and time again he'd seen Hermione Granger, a mudblood.... No a muggle born, he'd seen her do fantastic feats of magic things he'd struggled to do. Yet there she was doing them as naturally as breathing, and she supposedly was somehow flawed somehow she was supposed to be incapable of even casting a simple charm. He had certainly seen examples of that from half bloods and he'd even seen it in some of his own pure blood friends. They lacked the natural skill that was required to do magic or they were cursed with a wand that had no loyalty to them. The more and more Draco thought about this the more he realized that despite how bookish Hermione was she was naturally gifted with the skills it took to do powerful magic which flowed from her wand without wavering. 

It was a quiet morning and Draco sat outside of a muggle cafe eating a very sparse breakfast. Coffee and a croissant with a bit of ham and cheese in it. After he'd gotten out on his own he'd gone to Gringotts and had to goblins exchange a portion of his personal savings to muggle money so he would be able to avoid the wizarding community he knew were waiting for him to turn back up so they could harrass him about his mistakes. Draco finished his breakfast and he left the cafe having payed for his food first and he took a walk not paying too much attention to where he was going. He was wearing worn jeans and a dark grey long sleeve shirt his hair was slightly unkempt ruffled and longer than it had been in quite a while going almost past his ears his bangs pushed halfhazardly to one side out of his eyes. His wand was tucked safely into his wallet on which there was an undetectable extension charm along with an anti-theft charm. 

On his walk Draco found himself at the door of the Leaky Cauldron something in him persuaded him to go in slipping though the crowded pub as best he could with out being noticed as he went to the back room to the gateway into Diagonally. Draco pulled his wand out of his wallet and he opened the gateway and passed through tucking his wand back away in his wallet. Draco started walking down the ally not sure what he was doing there. Eventually he slipped into Flourish and Blotts to browse for a new book to read. As he was walking down one of the aisles of books he noticed the familiar hair of Hermione Granger settled down into a chair her eyes glued to a book. Draco knew it was a bad idea she'd hated his guts since they had first met and he knew she would be unforgiving for the things he'd done during the war and even before. But if there was anyone he wanted to make it up to it was her he'd always had a bit of a fancy for her even if he'd never really acknowledged it until recently. Draco made his way over to her slowly trying to make it seem like he hadn't noticed her until he was standing nearly beside her. He leaned in slightly to look at the book she was reading. "Australia, Granger?" Draco quickly moved so he wasn't quite so close to her and was instead standing in front of her off to one side of her pile of things. "Planning on going to Australia?" Dracos brow furrowed slightly as he tried to remember what was significant about Australia to Hermione. After a second he remembered. "Your going to go look for your parents... I remember they moved there when things got bad near the end of the war." 

If the curly haired witch was surprised at all she did not show it. A consequence of the war really, to have the best poker face you could. If one looked closely they could have seen her fingers tense on the book in her hands before relaxing slightly as she realized just who was speaking to her. There was a certain way that Draco Malfoy uttered her name, and if she didn't recognize his voice from years of schooling then she would have thought it was someone else. There was a certain...almost disdain missing from the way he usually said her name. It gave her pause. 

"Hello Malfoy." 

Her greeting was neutral, the stating of his name also lacking the usual snark and negativity she had previously used whenever addressing him. He had been a royal prat in school, and even a bit during the war. Yet the war was over, and people changed. She knew that he had spent a little time in Azkaban. She also had known he had been released after what the Wizengamot had initially planned for. She had basically forced her friends (Ron more so than Harry, he did have a sense about people) to privately speak to the council about reducing the sentences on those they felt were not truly one with the late dark lord's cause. It wasn't right to punish all children of death eaters, who had been raised with the terribly flawed ideals and in some cases had them forced upon them, or those whom had not helped with any of the grievous actions that Voldemort had committed. 

He hadn't lifted a wand to help her back in his manor, but he hadn't attempted to hurt her either. Yet just because she knew that he wasn't completely evil did not erase the years that he had tormented her and her friends. She did notice that he wouldn't pick on her as much as her friends, possibly because she had given in tho the urge and belted him in their third year. She didn't know his reasoning, but she did know that everyone deserved a second chance. She was a changed woman, more jaded than ever before. It was a new system she was trying. Yet when he mentioned her parents living in Australia she did pale slightly. 

Snapping her book shut without even marking her page the 'brightest witch of their age' stood and crossed her arms over her chest. "How long have you known that? I kept it a secret to save their lives. If you know, considering the side you were forced to align with, who's to say that nobody else knew as well? I know you're a fantastic occulemens...." She trailed off, looking down at the floor and suddenly even more worried about things, so much so that she never realized she had paid him a compliment. Although, thinking about it logically, if any of the death eaters had gone after her family, and found them, it would have been made common knowledge that they were gone. Any of the sadistic wizards would not have hesitated to rub it in her face. So, it was with that thought that Hermione calmed a bit, relaxing her tense muscles and letting her arms fall down to her sides. 

"It doesn't really matter now though, does it? Yes, I'm going to Australia to look for my parents. You're partially correct. While I did send them there to hide them during the war I also obliviated them so they would be completely safe. I don't know why I'm telling you this either..."

Draco was quiet for a minute recalling when he'd discovered that Hermiones parents had gone to Australia. "It was quite some time ago during the war...." Dracos voice trailed off as he was remembering the encounter before he continued to speak. "I was with Goyle we were looking for your parents because my father told us to. We went to your neighborhood and one of your neighbors told us that they had moved away to Australia." Something, his fancy for Hermione he supposed had compelled him that night to obliviate his best friends memory of the encounter with the muggle. Draco wasn't sure if it was a good idea to tell Hermione exactly what he'd done that night but if she thought that there was anyone else who knew about her parents she wouldn't be very happy and so he continued on telling what had happened. "I obliviated Goyles memory and told him that they had moved to New York City in America. That's what anyone who found out about your parents moving away thinks." 

Draco was quiet watching Hermione as she explained that she'd obliviated her own parents in an attempt to keep them safe. Draco looked away feeling somewhat responsible for their fates it was nearly impossible to reverse the effects on someone who had been obliviated especially if it was done well, and with Hermione Granger, everything was done well. Draco sighed heavily and he looked back at Hermione. "I am very sorry Hermione. That must have been extremely difficult for you." Dracos voice lacked any of its usual snide tones and instead was much more serious and carried hints of regret. "What will you do when you find them?"

To hear that he had attempted to go after her family under orders from a Death Eater both relieved her and upset her. It upset her to know that she had been right about how despicable the lot was. It relieved her to know that they had not succeeded because of her forethought. As terrible and painful of a thing it was to do, at least her parents were still alive. She too, remained quiet as she listened to him. 

It was while he spoke that she took the moment to really take in the man that Draco Malfoy had grown into. Instead of being impeccably dressed as he always used to be, influence from his father she was sure, he looked a bit rugged now what with his hair longer and slightly tousled as if he never combed it. He was also wearing jeans. Now her younger self would have had a field day seeing the pristine pureblooded git that he was wearing muggle attire like this, but if she recalled correctly it was rumored that he was living in Muggle London, so it really wasn't all that surprising now to her. She did admit, mentally of course, that he looked just as good as ever. She was always able to admit, again to herself, that he was attractive; it was his personality that had rendered any attraction she may have had to him null. She just never expected them to one day be in the same room together wearing basically the same thing. A quick glance down at her own outfit had her giving a small smile. Her dark jeans were fitted, tucked into grey boots with a black tank top and matching grey cardigan. Ironic it was. It took her a moment to gather her thoughts at his revelation, but she raised her head after a moment and regarded him with a kind smile. 

"I don't understand...why you did that all those years ago...but I'm extremely grateful that you did that. Thank you Draco." Knowing that he was part of the defense that kept her parents alive definitely warmed her to him a bit more than she had been. That in itself was deserving of the allowance of first name usage, in the very least. "I, and you better not laugh at me, really don't know what I am going to do. I need to find them first. I'm leaving tomorrow and going to start with the city I originally sent them to. I didn't want to know exactly where they were just in case...so I have to start in Melbourne and then go from there. Not only did she not know what to do, but she was worried that this was going to take longer than she could afford. While she did have money, it wasn't endless. She knew obliviated memories were tricky and could sometimes never be recovered...but she had to try.

Draco didn't laugh he knew what it meant to her to find her parents and unfortunately in their state she couldn't tell them almost anything about who she was or what she'd been through or even that they were her parents. To them she'd just be a strange young woman who looked very much like Mrs. Granger. The International Statute of Secrecy prevented her from telling them anything about magic it wouldn't be an easy task to explain why she was there or who she even was. For any of this to be worth it Hermione would have to try to find a way to reverse the spell she'd cast, looking at the determination in her face Draco could tell that was exactly what she was planning on doing. "Listen, I know we've never really been on the best of terms. It's my fault really.... But I want to try to make up for at least some of the things I've done. I know I could never make up for everything but... If you would allow me. I'd like to join you in your search for your parents and to help you to try and restore their memories." Draco locked his eyes onto Hermione doing his best not to falter as he spoke his voice filled with sincerity.

Of all the things Hermione Granger had expected to come from this conversation, this was not one of them. Her surprise showed on her face, and she clearly took a moment to weigh out the pros and cons once she had recovered from her momentary shock. "I don't know what to say Draco..." Her bottom lip found its way between her teeth and she chewed on it for a moment as she began to pace slightly in front of him. She was clearly thinking about allowing him to come with her. Who was she to stop him from making amends? He definitely seemed like he had changed, and her gut was telling her that he had no reason to trick her; that he was sincere in his offer. She stopped pacing with a start, before shaking her head slightly. "This might be one of the craziest things I've ever done...but alright. You can come with me. You're a better study of legillimency than I am as well, so it definitely can't hurt. The port key I acquired leaves tomorrow morning. Would you like to meet up at the Leaky Cauldron around 7:30 tomorrow morning? She wanted to give him a bit of time to pack and get any of his affairs in order after all, but she did have a deadline. Changing the time of the port key would take forever, so hopefully he was able to settle anything he needed quickly or else she would just leave without him.

Watching Hermiones reaction to his request Draco was certain she would say no but he waited for her response as she thought about the benefits and the consequences of taking him along. Draco knew even if he went along with her there was in absolutely no way a guarantee they would be able to retrieve the memories that had been lost. But the two of them had always been the smartest at school and so they would do their best if nothing else. Draco waited patiently for Hermione to make her decision and he held back the surprise he had when she said he could come with her. He truly had expected her to say no because of their rivalrous history. "Thank you. I'll meet you inside then." His fingers tapped lightly on his hip as he tried to think for a minute. "Is there anything you would like me to get?" In his head he was already assembling a list of things he would need to retrieve from Malfoy mannor and from his late godfather, Severus Snape's home. Draco didn't particularly relish the thought of visiting his mother despite the fact he loved her very much she was distressed and would no doubt try to keep him from leaving her. But he needed to go if he was going to be any use to Hermione he needed some books his father had in his study.

Nodding at the platinum blonde wizard in front of her, Hermione bit her lip as she turned and moved to pick up the remaining stack of books she had and her bags from her previous purchases. Glancing over her shoulder at his remaining question, she paused a moment, clearly thinking it over. "There's nothing that strikes me now, but anything that you think might be helpful towards the cause I guess..." The curly haired witch did not think she needed to mention that she expected him to omit any dark magical artifacts, for she knew he had turned over a new leaf. Smiling at him once more, she moved to head to the registers with her books, pausing once again to look over her shoulder at him before smiling and disappearing into the next aisle. She had to finish her last minute preparations after all. 

Paying for her purchases, the brunette chatted with the cashier for a few moments before she headed back to the street. From there, she apparated over to her next stop. Hermione ran the rest of her errands before stopping off at the Burrow for what she hoped would be a quiet dinner before she left. She should have realized that nothing at the Burrow was ever quiet. It ended up being quite the little going away party for her. So much so that she had to sneak away before the boys tricked her into doing something stupid, like drinking something they created in order to loosen her up like they would do back in school. From there she made her way home, already missing her beloved half-kneazle Crookshanks. He was now living at the Burrow, at least until she would either be able to send for him or come home. It seemed better off that way. 

Packing the last of her purchases up and finalizing her mostly packed bags, the brightest witch of her age settled in and began reading and taking notes, passing out sometime during this process and waking up when her wand alarm went off. Peeling the parchment from her cheek where it had stuck, the witch mused that some things would probably never change. Breezing through her morning routine, she decided today that she would braid her hair to keep the curly mass from flying all over the place. While her hair was in no way the same mess it was from her first years at Hogwarts, it was unmanageable at times, especially with humidity. Since she wasn't completely sure what the weather would be like in Melbourne, she decided to be safe. Clad in another pair of comfortable dark wash jeans and another black tank top with an olive green cardigan over it, she shrank her luggage to fit in her pocket with a quick spell before pocketing her wand and heading from her apartment. Setting her wards back before she left, she headed down to the coffee shop on the corner for her morning kick. 

As she waited in line in the muggle shop she debated whether or not she should get something for Draco as well. She did remember he had a sweet tooth, so he would probably like the sweet caramel latte she was partial too. If not, well, more for her! It was with that in mind that the brightest witch of their age ordered 2 caramel lattes and a scone before heading over to the Leaky Cauldron to meet with Draco. She knew she was running a few minutes late, as there was a long line in her favorite coffee shop this morning, but that couldn't be helped. The portkey wouldn't activate for another 15 minutes so there was time. As she approached she tapped the familiar pattern with a fond smile, coming out into Diagon Alley in front of the pub with a smile. She glanced around, looking for that familiar tall head of platinum blonde with an apology waiting for her on her tardiness. "So sorry I'm late...there was more of a line than usual at my favorite coffee shop. I got you a caramel latte, it's on the sweeter side so I thought you might like it. I remember you being known for having a bit of a sweet tooth back in school..." The witch was all smiles, choosing to think positively about the trip rather than keep worrying herself on the what ifs that could happen.

Draco nodded when Hermione decided she couldn't think of anything else that they would need and he smiled back at her. "I'll see you tomorrow granger." Draco watched her gather her things then go up to the counter to check out he smiled back at her the second time she looked back at him before he slipped out of the book store and apperated back to his flat to pack his things. He packed an olive green backpack with his clothes and a few books to keep himself entertained when they weren't searching or doing research. After he was done in his flat he left casting a few wards over it just to keep it secure while he was gone as he didn't expect he'd be back until after their trip. Once he finished he apparated again this time to the house his god father snape had left him after he'd died. 

Draco stood staring at the empty house no one had been in it since the end of the war. It was strange to be back at the house knowing it and everything inside was rightfully his as it was willed to him. After a minute in silence Draco hurried inside and he went to the study where he'd spent many hours learning ocumency with snape most of his skill had been learned from the man his aunt bellatrix had tried to teach him as well but she'd always been an awful teacher her deranged anger causing her to lash out at him without warning even if he'd been doing well. Draco walked over to the book shelves and he ran his fingers over the dusty bindings pulling down a few books he'd studied on ocumency and he also located the ones on Legilimency in addition to a book specifically on the nature of memory. Draco packed away the books and he walked over behind his God fathers desk and he picked up a photograph of himself and snape standing together Draco smiled and he wiped the dust off the glass and he watched the photo moving around it was a much better time before he'd gotten dragged into the darkness of the war. Draco put the photo in his bag and he left not needing anything else from the house. He walked out and then cast a few more protective charms on the house not wanting anything to disturb it until he was ready to take over the house and it's possessions. 

When he finished he apparated to Malfoy mannor and he stood outside of the gate the darkness of his childhood home washing over him the memories he had in this place were mostly happy until his familys relationship had started to deteriorate and Voldemort had taken up residence in their home tainting the very air of the place. It was still dark and ominous. Draco forced himself to walk forward through the gate and up to the door at the door an magical law enforcement officer was guarding the main entrap he stopped Draco at the door. Draco did his best not to snap and say anything insulting to the man. "What are you doing?" The man asked fully aware it was Draco Malfoy he was talking to. "I'm here to visit my mother why else would I be back here?" A bit of venom leaked out on his voice. "What's in your bag?" Draco rubbed his temples and sighed. "Books and clothing now do you mind. I would like to have supper with my mother today." Draco glared at the officer getting tired of being delayed from what he'd come to do. After a bit of a stareing contest the officer stepped aside and he let Draco go inside. 

Inside the house was dark for the most part the lights out Draco pulled his wand from his wallet and wordlessly lit the tip of his wand and he made his way quietly through the house to his fathers stu. The house made him shudder it still felt corrupted and it smelled of murder even after months of being empty. Draco doubted it would ever smell like it used to. Draco was quick sneaking into his fathers study and retrieving a book about retriving memories. Then he left and went to find his mother starting to prepare supper. The rest of the evening was spent enjoying his mothers company and her cooking. It was well past midnight quite nearly morning before his mother retired to her bedroom to sleep.

Draco took a short nap in his old bedroom waking up to his wand at six he changed his clothes black jeans that hugged his legs and a black t-shirt with the name of an obscure muggle band on it along with what one could assume was cover art from their cd and he had on a pair of steel toed combat boots which his pants were tucked into. Draco ran a comb through his hair getting it more tamed than it had been the day before but he didn't do much in the way of making it pretty. It only took him a couple of minutes to dress and fix his hair. He was about to leave his room when he remembered his darkmark which was a scar now. He hated it and didn't want to have Hermione see it because he knew she'd probably be upset by it and he couldn't blame her if there was anything he wanted in the entire world it was for that scar to be gone it was a constant reminder of the worst things he'd ever done nearly everything he regretted came from getting the darkmark. Not sure what it would be like in Australia he cast a plethora of concealment and glamor charms over his left arm doing his best to hide it even though it was never completely hidden but if one didn't look at it for too long it did appear like his arm was scarless but to be safe he still pulled on a beaten up leather jacket. He left the mannors ground and he apparated to the leaky cauldron where he waited for Hermione and he smiled seeing her. "Good morning. Oh thank you I could definately use some coffee I was up late with my mother." Draco took the drink from Hermione and he took a big drink of it. "Alright so where to now?" Draco looked at Hermione curious if she already had the portkey or if they would need to go somewhere to activate it. 

"How's your mother doing lately?" Her question was more asked out of her polite manners than anything else, but she found that she was interested in hearing the answer. While his family had never been the most kind to her it was Narcissa Malfoy that had saved them when she lied to the dark lord after all. She idly held onto her arm where her own scar was, courtesy of his crazy deceased aunt, before she shook the memory from herself. Hermione forced her hand away from the carving in her arm, which was also covered by her own charms and glamours before taking another long sip of her coffee. 

While he was distracted by the coffee she had gotten him and her question Hermione took the chance to give him a quick perusal. He hadn't even batted an eyelash before taking a drink from the coffee, which meant on at least some level that he trusted her. It made the curly haired witch smile. Not that she would have done anything to his coffee, it was just nice to know that he wasn't just all talk with his attempts to make amends; he clearly harbored none of the same prejudices that he used to. Taking a sip from her own coffee, she pulled her shrunken bags from her pocket and enlarged a small purse before putting the other shrunken bags back in her pocket. 

Call her a typical woman, but she had her purse, a larger duffel filled with clothes and other necessities, and then a small trunk full of books on memory charms for research purposes. "Alright, so I modified the hotel we're staying in so there should be 2 beds, and I have the port key in my purse. It'll activate at 8, I have it here. It'll bring us to the alley next to the hotel we're staying in. I booked muggle accommodations for the majority of this trip to try to save some money. I have also got some scrying equipment in order to hopefully locate them with a bit more ease." She pulled the necklace with an old looking key out from a small pocket on her purse and slipped it around her neck, holding it up for him to see what the portkey actually was. She went for something that would be easy enough to always carry around on her person in case of emergency. 

"Thank you again for offering to come help Malfoy, I do appreciate it." A quick glance at the silver watch she wore on her wrist told her they had a few minutes to kill before the portkey activated. "How have you been doing? I never really asked you that yesterday...and if we're going to be traveling together I figure we might as well get to know each other a bit better, right?"

Draco shifted his backpack from his shoulder to the ground laying it against his leg as he drank more of the coffee Hermione had gotten him she was right he liked it's sweetness. "Oh my mother she's been doing mostly alright a bit distraught at being alone in the manor but I can hardly stand to be there anymore it's not really home anymore." Draco watched Hermione as she shuffled her bags around and then finally pulled out the portkey and explained their accommodations. "That all sounds just fine. I aquired a few books I think maybe useful when we have some time we can look over them." Draco looked at his backpack then back up at Hermione a bit surprised when she asked how he was doing. "Oh... I've been doing alright. I really haven't done anything useful with myself since I got out on my own. I just have a flat in the middle of muggle London... I suppose I also have a couple of muggle friends..." Draco blinked his father flashing through his mind. If his father ever heard Draco utter those words he would have died. "I don't really see them very often though mostly when I get coffee some times they are in the coffee shop near my flat." Draco shifted and he finished the coffee that Hermione had gotten him and he took the top of his cup off and stared down at the empty cup a bit disappointed that there wasn't more. Draco looked back up at Hermione putting the lid back on the empty cup. "What about you? What have you been up to?" Draco lifted up his backpack and slung it over his shoulder before he turned and found a bin for the coffee cup he tossed it in then looked back to Hermione pulling his pack on all the way knowing they were set to leave any minute now.


	2. Arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter drags a little we spent time plotting out the events for the next few chapters that's why it's a little slow. Also I'm going to try and update this at least once a day until I get caught up to where Emily and I are actually working on the roleplay.

The brunette witch listened to him with a smile, nodding where appropriate and sipping at her own coffee. She still had about half of it left, but found herself very amused as he searched the cup as if there were more coffee hiding. So much so that once the threw out his cup and made his way back over she found herself handing over her half drunk cup. "If you want you can finish mine; sometimes I drink it all but usually I can't do it. It was at that moment that the alarm on her wand went off and she felt the portkey activate. Reaching out with her other hand, she grabbed onto his arm as she felt the magical device begin to transport them. Quick as a flash, they were standing in an alley in Melbourne, and Hermione's eyes opened from being slammed shut. She hated traveling by port key. Her stomach was always a mess and queasy afterwards, almost as if she was doing side along apparition. 

"We'll talk more once we get settled in, sound good?" The curly haired witch did not really give him a chance to argue, instead turning away from him and un-shrinking her trunk and duffel bag from her pockets and moving to head out of the alley and into the lobby of the hotel they were staying in. Stepping up towards the front counter, she glanced behind her momentarily to make sure she hadn't lost Draco before speaking to the receptionist about checking in. She had mentioned before that she wanted an early check in. Upon speaking further with the polite staff member, she was informed that they were not able to accommodate her last minute request for a second bed in the room, but that for the trouble they were sending her a free meal voucher. Shrugging it off, she would think of something after all, Hermione smiled and thanked the receptionist before taking the two cards for the room key and stepping away from the desk. She picked up her duffel bag and grasped her trunk, thankful that she had the forethought to get some wheels put on it, before moving over to the elevators off to the side of the lobby. 

"I'll have to see how big of a deal is when we get up to the room, but they said they couldn't get an extra bed in such short notice. They did however give us a free meal as an apology. Depending on the bed size we might be able to fix something...We're up on the 4th floor, here's a key for you. I have this room booked right now for the week." She didn't want to say magic when she was referring to the room situation. She was sure that between the two of them they would figure it out. The free meal was a nice bonus though. Leading her traveling companion into the elevator, she remained quiet instead of answering her question, not liking being crammed in a packed car full of muggles to converse. So she didn't move to speak again until she was in the room. 

Unlocking the door with her key card, Hermione smiled as she took in the large room. Since she figured she would be doing lots of research, she had asked for a room that had space for a table and work space. There was also a king sized bed off to the side along with a 46 inch television. The windows were covered, but she imagined once she removed that then the room would be just as lovely as the photographs stated. Once she knew her companion was in the room and the door was shut she moved to pull out her wand. "Now, duplication spell on the bed or should I just sort of split it and we can fuse it again in the mornings if we ever want to let housekeeping in?" She was always a practical one, although she was rather looking forward to sleeping on such a large plush bed, and definitely wouldn't begrudge him if he wanted the same.

 

The whirling motion of being transported by port key temporarily disoriented Draco after they arrived in Melbourne but he quickly recovered shaking his head to Hermiones offer to let him have her coffee. "I'm alright only if your certain you don't want any more of it." Draco followed Hermione to the hotel and he nodded when she said they hadn't managed to change the room to have two beds he followed her in the elevator then down the hallway to their room. When he was going down the hall he noticed that most of the conversations taking place in the rooms could be heard from the hall way. He joined Hermione in their room and he closed the door taking his backpack off and leaning it against the wall. "I'm going to cast a muffilato on the room so no one will over hear our conversations." Draco pulled his wand out his wallet and he cast the spell over the room making it safe for them to discuss magic freely. When he finished he looked back to Hermione glancing about the room deciding if there was enough space to duplicate the bed or not. "Duplicating the bed should work if we push it off to the side a bit more. But we can split the bed too what ever you think." 

 

Nodding in agreement with him casting the muffling spell, Hermione mentally admonished herself for not thinking of it. This was why it was good to have someone else come along, and she was glad it was someone intelligent enough to have that forethought. Once the spell was cast, the curly haired witch nodded at his input. Pulling her own wand from her pocket she levitated the bed over to the side before she murmured the replication spell and placed the second bed in the space they'd made. It now had a slim path between the two beds for them to get in and out with the nightstand between them. Smiling at the achievement, the brunette moved to the bed against the wall and dropped her duffel bag atop it, before placing her half drunk coffee onto the table and sat down herself. "Being a witch is convenient when it comes to travel...but with how abrupt portkeys are always leaves me a bit disoriented afterwards." 

She couldn't bring herself to relax and just flop back on the bed as if she were with Harry or Ron, but she did feel comfortable enough to speak her mind. It was odd how quickly she had forgiven Draco in her mind, yet she saw with her own eyes his evidence of wanting to change so giving him a chance was no problem.   
"You asked me earlier how I've been recently...I guess pretty good. I was doing work to help rebuild things in Diagon Alley, and helping with the ministry and some crash courses in research and things for the Aurors. Most of them don't like being ordered around by someone my age...but I guess that comes with the territory. 'Us kids' as they liked to call us were the ones who got results so the minister decided he wanted us to go over our specialities... mine happened to be research." Hermione shrugged, moving to finally plop back onto the bed, her torso reclined while her legs hung off and idly kicked back and forth. "I kept getting stuck helping everyone with different projects that I finally just said enough and decided I was going to leave to look for my parents finally. So here I am..." She smiled over at the blonde wizard before sitting up and moving over to her trunk and popping it open. 

"I figure I'll start trying to scry to see if I can locate them first before I go the muggle route and track them down that way. Although come to think of it I should probably check and see if they have a dental practice here like they did back home...are you familiar with a muggle tooth doctor Mal-er, Draco?" She had been mostly rambling to herself out loud, but she was trying to make an effort to communicate properly with Draco. He didn't know her methods, so she surmised it would take a little bit to get used to her quirks. Best lay them out now and show him what he was in for she supposed.

Draco watched Hermione as she worked her magic moving the bed and duplicating it so they wouldn't have to share a bed. He nodded when she talked about how it was convenient to be magical to travel. "I understand it can take a whole day or longer for a muggle to get somewhere. It sounds dreadful. I'd much rather be disoriented for a couple of minutes than take so long to go some where. Unless that was the point of course." Draco walked over to the window and he pulled back the curtain a bit and he looked out at the street of the city it was quite busy full of cars and people on the side walks Draco shifted a bit and he close the curtains back up the light from the sun going through the window was much hotter than he was used to and infact the room itself was quite stifling with the humidity. Draco stayed near the window for a minute listening to Hermione as she talked about what she'd been up to since the war was over. "It sounds like you've done a lot for the Wizarding community back home I'm sure they are appreciative." 

Draco shifted his hands from his sides and moved them so they were running over the broken zipper track of his leather jacket he hadn't bothered to fix it since it had helped him look more muggleish he turned and reluctantly shed his jacket the heat of Australia finally getting to him. He folded his jacket in half and put it down on the foot of his bed then copied Hermione sitting down on the bed for a minute before laying back his eyes closed. He was still exhausted from being up late comforting his mother and assuring her that he'd visit more often. Hermione's voice was quite nice to listen to although at some point she'd started to babble he still enjoyed hearing her voice he'd always remembered it having a bit more restraint and some times venom weaved in but now it sounded surprisingly comfortable. 

Draco sat back up when Hermione started to talk about scrying for her parents. When she asked him if he was familiar with the concept of dentists he shook his head. "I really haven't been around muggles long enough for that mostly I understand that they are usually quite unpleasant to see." Draco smiled a blush flitting over his cheeks at hearing Hermione call him Draco he was so used to only being called Malfoy by her it was a nice change to start being on a first name basis he wondered if she wouldn't mind him calling her by her first name as well. Since they would be traveling together for quite some time it would be nice to be able to act like friends and possibly become friends if she would allow them to. 

Draco got up from his bed and he walked over to his backpack and he picked it up and carried it back to his bed and he opened it and he dug out the books he'd gotten accidentally letting the picture of himself and Snape fall out of his bag and bounce across the carpeted floor to Hermione's side. Draco made a noise which was a bit distressed when he noticed the picture drop. He carried the seven books he'd retrieved over to the desk and put them down with a thump before he turned to get the picture from Hermione. "Sorry I meant to keep that in my bag." Draco held his hand out for the picture still not feeling entirely comfortable exposing certain parts of him self like his affection for his God father. 

 

One of the first things she did, without even realizing that she had done it, was idly glance over at his arms the moment he shed his jacket. More out of idle curiosity than anything else was she trying to see if she could spot his Dark Mark. Her quick glance showed only smooth skin, and her own attention was diverted to her own covered arm. Must be nice to have it be gone she couldn't help but wonder as she pulled out her own small mountain of books. to get to her scrying equipment. She was lost in her thoughts until she saw the picture come to a stop in front of her. 

Again, without thinking anything of it, she had picked it up carefully and brought it closer to her face to look at. It was the typical wizard moving photograph, but the two looked happy. Snape even cracked a small smile. She smiled herself as she looked up at him and handed it back to him. "It's quite alright. I never realized how close you were...I mean I know we used to think that you were his favorite, but I never thought he was friendly with anyone really. We found out that he was in love with Harry's mother Lily, but aside from that he seemed so cold it never really seemed like he could be close with anyone. I'm glad you have fond memories to remember him by." She finished pulling out her equipment before changing her mind and going back into the trunk and pulling out a black case. Slipping her flats off, Hermione climbed back up onto her bed before pulling out a sleek black, shiny laptop Muggle computer. She opened a flap of the case and pulled out a few photos as well. 

"I brought some photos with me too...not just of Harry and Ron and the rest of the Weasleys...but of mum and dad too. I even have one here of my cat, Crookshanks. It's a nice way to remember people when you're far away, or they aren't around anymore. I'm not going to think any less of you just because your favorite people are not mine. Not to mention the fact that I would hope you give me the same courtesy. After all, I am best friends with two people in the world who you were probably nastier to in school than me. Granted, sometimes they would put their foots in their mouths and deserve a bit of attitude, but you seemed to legitimately hate the two of them for some reason. The brunette idly rolled up the sleeves of her cardigan as she settled onto the bed with her legs crossed, making herself comfortable and momentarily forgetting about the scar. She always glamoured it anyway, so it should be fine. 

She didn't look at him for a moment while she worked on getting the laptop powered back on. "Of course I'm not trying to bring up bad memories here. What's in the past is in the past. I just hope that if you are planning on ever making amends with them you realize that they're children when it comes to terribly serious matters and probably won't be willing to forgive and forget as easily as I have. I'm hoping that they would be willing to trust my judgement on the matter, because you definitely do show a lot of sincerity that I am a little ashamed to admit, I was a bit shocked of. I'm glad you surprised me with your sincerity Draco. She glanced up again upon using his first name, making sure she made eye contact with the tall wizard before flushing lightly and looking down at the laptop screen now that it had lit up. She chewed her lip in thought, obviously wanting to add something but unsure if she really should. She was silent a moment longer before she finally decided to just say it. If he got mad she would deal. 

"I hope you don't mind me using your first name...I figured if you were making amends it would be a good way to further move forward..."

 

Draco took the photo back from Hermione and he sighed lightly a bit relived that she didn't judge him. "He was my godfather...." Draco mumered the statement unsure if Hermione was aware of that or not. He smiled and laughed a bit when he was reminded of how most of their classes had gone. "Yah he was easy on me during class but believe me he was just as hard on me if not harder outside of class. If it weren't for him I doubt I would have been able to do so well in school. He always pushed me to do the best I could." Draco was quiet looking over at Hermione as she told him about how Snape had been in love with lily potter and he looked away. "He never told me that. I guess it makes sense he was always looking out for potter I just never understood why." Draco looked down at the photograph he had in his hands and he wondered what else his godfather had never told him he was sure there was a lot he didn't know he'd never been a very open man not even when they'd been having fun together. Draco tucked away the photograph back into his backpack then he also tucked his jacket into the bag before he closed it and put it on the ground.

"I doubt I'll ever be able to make anything right with them. I won't worry too much about it until we go back to London though there's no point in me worrying about those two when we're nearly half a world away from them." Draco shrugged they really had a mutual hate for each-other Draco's hate for Harry Potter though he'd decided was because some days his godfather had seemed more concerned with potters well being than his own and it hurt. What always made him more angry and hateful was the prat didn't even notice how often Snape would stick his neck out for him. His hate for Weasley had been drilled into him by his father and he did want to try to make amends but Weasley still had the hate bred into him by his parents as well so it would have to be a mutual agreement between the two of them. Draco smiled a bit at Hermione and he laughed lightly. "I'm sure if they knew you and I were here together they would probably lose it." He dreaded the thought of them ever finding out that he and Hermione were alone together they would probably assume he used the imperious curse on her or something like that. They would definitely never believe he was actually trying to help her in anyway. Draco smiled again when Hermione used his name and he shook his head when she asked if it was a problem. "No I like it it's a nice change from calling each-other by our last names. Would it be ok if I call you by your name too?" Draco looked hopefully at Hermione for her answer. 

After getting Hermione's answer Draco walked back over to the desk and he shuffled his books around a bit before pulling one of the legitimacy books so he could continue studying it. He wasn't very good at the skill his godfather had been starting to teach him using Wormtail as a subject but he hated going into that rats mind it was warped and hideous. "I'm not sure if you already have these books... I'm sure you probably don't have the one I got from my fathers study i haven't read it yet but I know that it's not something we'll use for more than just research.... It's got methods that work in it but we don't want to use them on your parents." Draco stared at the book he'd gotten from his fathers study he could feel the black magic from it burning in his darkmark.

 

"That makes so much sense! I had no idea he was your godfather..." It really didn't make much of a difference knowing that, but it certainly explained a lot over the years about why he kept so on top of him. It made the curly haired witch smile as she moved to undo her hair from it's braid and shake it out. "I mean I'm sure sometimes we'll slip, it's a bit of a habit to refer to you as Malfoy, but even if I do use your last name it won't hold the same tone or connotation as it formerly did." 

Shifting her attention to her computer once again, she finished going through her regular start up routine before idly beginning to rifle through the nightstand to get the room's wireless information as she saw Draco move out of the corner of her eye. Not really thinking much of it, she was surprised when he picked up a book and began to speak once more. Slowly looking up from the laptop, Hermione blinked cautiously, glancing down at the book in his hand, not even really needing to be that close to it to feel the dark magic being emitted from the thick tome. Moving the laptop aside, she crawled off the bed and moved to gently take the book from him, nodding in agreement. She was a bit used to handling books that contained dark magic from her time researching the horcruxes of Voldemort so she knew to be careful as she handled it. 

"There may be something that we can adapt if we really need to, but it is good to study this as well. I don't think any of the books I have will have anything like this in them. Thank you for bringing this." Smiling, she moved to begin carefully looking through the book's index, skimming through to get a grasp of just what sort of dark magical secrets it might contain, before she set it aside for the moment. "That will definitely be useful, at least for theory research. Say, are you hungry by chance? I didn't eat much this morning, I try not to before travel by portkey and I think I'm going to explore the city a little bit and find somewhere to grab a bite. Would ... you like to come with me?" 

 

Draco was starting to read through the legitimacy book picking up from where he'd stopped with Snape he'd need to find some one to practice on and he doubted Hermione would be willing to let him poke around in her secrets. He smiled when she talked about calling him by his last name. "Yah it is a habit I'll probably do it too some times too but as long as we are both in agreement it will be fine." Draco looked up at Hermione when she came over to look at the book he'd been talking about. He pulled the book off the top of the pile and carefully handed it to her watching as she looked through the index and talked about how some of the information in the book could still be useful and how she didn't have anything like it. "I hope it will be useful I'll start reading it in depth in the next few days." The index of the book was dominated by chapters on using the cruciatus curse to break memory charms but there were a few other methods listed including legitimacy. 

Draco stomach growled when Hermione mentioned leaving the hotel to go find food. "That would be good I didn't get breakfast either Draco checked the time on a digital clock sitting on the desk and he frowned slightly. "It's actually lunch time here." Draco folded up the book he'd been reading and he put it on top of the pile of his books and he quickly checked the spells on his arm making sure they wouldn't break before he nodded pulling his wallet out and slipping his room key card into one of the slots. "Oh I also need to exchange the money I brought with me since its all British pounds I didn't have time to stop by the bank to get it exchanged yesterday."

 

The curly haired witch idly shut the laptop she had just booted up and stretched her arms over her head until she felt her shoulder pop. With a small relieved sigh, she moved to grab her purse and pocketed the key card she had in her jeans. Her wand was tucked securely into a side pocket of her purse and she nodded at him. "The hotel lobby has a currency exchange, that was one thing I double checked before booking. I have a little bit of money but I figure in case I needed more I could always get some. While you're doing that I can ask the front desk where some good places to eat are. In the mood for anything specific?" She paused a moment and pulled her wand back out, before applying a few basic wards to the room just to be safe. She grabbed the do not disturb sign and planned to hang it on the doorknob on the way out, so no housekeeping muggle maid would walk in and stumble upon their modified room.

 

Draco nodded and he followed Hermione toward the door when she explained the hotel would be able to exchange the money. He considered her question about it he had a preference for food and he shrugged a bit. "Maybe seafood or pasta. But I'll eat just about anything at the moment so you can choose." Draco watched Hermione preform a few protective spells over their room before he opened the door and held it for her letting her out before he followed closing the door. Draco rode the elevator down to the lobby with Hermione in silence in the lobby he broke away from her and headed over to the exchange desk. He spent a little bit arguing with the desk clerk when he wouldn't exchange the money Draco gave him without a valid passport which of course Draco didn't have since it was a muggle document. After a bit Draco finally rolled out the famous Malfoy charm which really wasn't that charming considering in reality he was using magic to modify the muggles perception as he showed him a blank bit of paper that had floating around in his wallet. The muggle took the paper and then agreed that the passport was valid and he handed Draco the money he'd requested Draco thanked the clerk and took back the paper he'd passed off as a passport before he slunk off tucking the money away into his wallet knowing if Hermione had seen him do that she'd be quite upset since he was supposed to be turning over a new leaf. But what could he say it was engrained into him to be short tempered with muggles and it was easier to trick them then to try and explain why he didn't have anything resembling proper identification. As a wizard the only identification he needed was his wand. When the clerk had asked him for his identification he'd nearly pulled his wand out until he remembered he was dealing with muggles. It would have been impossible to explain why he'd pulled his wand out to a muggle. Draco waited in the middle of the lobby for Hermione smiling at her when she came back over to him. "So what did you find out about?"

 

Smiling in thanks at his polite gesture, Hermione followed him to the elevator and they rode down in silence. She debated making casual conversation while the lift was in motion but quickly changed her mind; the silence between them wasn't uncomfortable, which in itself was odd to her. She didn't really think much about it once the lift doors opened and they split and went their separate ways in the lobby. She watched him head over to the currency exchange counter before heading over to the front desk. Waiting her turn, she began to chat with the woman at the counter about the closest and best food options around. 

Having had a much easier time talking to the receptionist, she made sure to find out about a couple different types of restaurants around the area too, not just the best, just so that she wouldn't have to ask each time if either one of them wanted something specific. Politely thanking the woman, she had made her way over to the middle of the lobby once she saw Draco standing there. He was really very distinct, what with his tall stature and his pale blonde hair. He looked extra pale decked out in such dark colors too, but that was how she always remembered him being. Once she was within earshot she beamed. 

"There's a great seafood restaurant right across the street apparently. This area gets most of it's fish delivered fresh every day. I found out a couple of other good places around here too, for later on in case we wanted something different. Specifically she mentioned the lobster macaroni and cheese was delicious at this place, I'm curious. 

Leading the way, the curly haired witch led them a bit further down the street and across to a seafood restaurant called Claypots Seafood Bar. She gave a look around at the lovely interior before smiling at the hostess and giving her the number in their party. They were quickly led to a table, as it was nearing the end of lunch time already over here so they luckily had no wait. Thanking the hostess politely once more, the brunette sat down and continued her perusal of the place. "Definitely looks like a nice place, wouldn't you agree?"

 

Draco smiled at Hermione more when she beamed at him. "That's nice we are pretty close the ocean. I do belive I recall seeing it from our window. Maybe if we need a bit of a break from working we could make our way over to the beach." Draco followed Hermione out of the hotel then across the street. His attention was mostly on the muggles as they walked it looked like in this area it was mostly tourists it was unlikely they would run into Hermiones parents here but then again Melbourne was a big city and so it was unlikely they would just happen upon them one day even if they were looking. It was certainly going to be a job finding her parents in this city. "Are you sure your parents stayed in Melbourne?...." Draco asked Hermione as they walked to the resturaunt his mind pointing out to him that it was entirely possible they had moved to a different city such as Sydney or they could have even moved into a more rural area. Australia was a big country after all. The more he thought about it the more it seemed likely they would have to search for Hermiones parents by looking for their job if as Hermione had surmised that they had opened their own dental practice it would be much easier to find them by their professional names. 

Entering the resturaunt Draco also thanked the waitress when she seated them and passed them menus to look over before she came back to get their drink then food orders. He looked around the resturaunt the atmosphere was a bit different than he was used to more like a bar than a formal sit down resturaunt but it fit and he sort of enjoyed the change. "Yah it does." Draco agreed his eyes drifting to the decorations which were nautical in nature and seemed to mostly be antiques. After a minute of looking he shook himself and remembered his stumach was twisting itself into a knot with morning hunger. The waitress returned to the table and asked what they would like to drink and Draco waited for Hermione to order her drink before telling the waitress he would be alright just having water not particularly in the mood for anything else. Then she asked if they were ready to order and Draco shook his head. "I think a few more minutes if you don't mind." He smiled charmingly at the waitress who smiled back and nodded. "Alright a few more minutes I'll go get that drink." She hurried off and Draco focused on the menu looking for something to eat.

 

Hermione idly ordered a sweetened iced tea with ice while she perused her menu. Skimming over the seafood options, she found herself in the same food craving area as her new wizard friend. Looking at the pasta options that the restaurant offered, she smiled and closed her menu as she made her decision. She took this time to finish glancing around the place before she turned her attention back to her table mate. "I'm not sure honestly...but I am sure that they would have, at the very least at some point, have opened up a dental practice. So once we get back to the room I'm going to run a search and see what I can find. Hopefully we'll be lucky and they'll be in Melbourne." She had been about to say more when the waitress returned with their drinks and asked if they had decided. After a quick glance confirming he had decided with Malfoy, the brunette nodded and ordered her seafood linguini with a side of garlic bread. She waited until the waitress too Draco's order and headed off again before resuming what she had been saying. 

"I don't know why I didn't just research everything back home in London honestly....I guess I just needed to get away a bit more than I thought. Thinking about it now I could have easily at least attempted to find them before that way this would be easier...oh well..." Shrugging idly, she reached for the straw and opened it, crumpling the wrapper and tossing it idly onto the table. She stuck the straw into her tea, taking a sip before making a face and grabbing a sugar packet. "Not sweet enough, blah. Fun fact about Australia here, did you know that if you don't order ice in a drink and you just order whatever it is you want it usually won't have ice in it? I'm sure a bar may be an exception though.... Well, it was just an odd tidbit I picked up. I'm a little shocked I'm actually here right now, getting my parents finally. It felt like it was so long coming and I almost can't believe it's actually happening..."

 

Draco ordered a similar dish to Hermione's but being a bit adventurous the dish had calimari and scallops in it rather than the usual shrimp which made up a seafood linguini. When the waitress left Draco hummd a bit before he spoke. "When we were walking over here I was thinking it would be easiest to look them up using their professional titles." Draco laughed a bit at Hermione's exasperation with herself that she hadn't thought to look for her parents when she was back in London. "From what you told me Hermione, I think leaving the country was the only way you were going to have enough time to yourself to look for them. Besides it shouldn't be too hard to find them if we work together. That is why I came along with you after all to help you find your parents." Draco reached across the table and he put his soft hand on top of Hermione's comforting her for a moment before he pulled back. 

Draco took his glass of water in hand and chuckled a bit at Hermione's tidbit fact about ice in Australia. He looked at his glass and there were two rather lonely ice cubes melting quickly on top of the water. "I imagine it's because it's so hot here it used to be difficult to make ice and that habit of only using a little ice has stuck around." Draco sipped from his water it was still plenty refreshing even with the lack of ice. "Don't get too ahead of yourself Hermione." As much as Draco wanted Hermione to be excited to see her parents again they had no memory of her she couldn't just go bursting back into their lives she'd get into trouble not with just the muggle athorities but almost certianly with the magical athorities as well. "Even if we do find them there's no telling how long it will take us to remind them of who you are. We are going to have to be careful about how we interact with them before they remember."

 

The touch of his hand on hers, even briefly, in such an intimate, comforting way caused the brunette muggleborn to blush. She was still smiling, which at the very least if he had noticed wouldn't think he had done anything terrible. "I know, I know... I don't plan on jumping the gun on this one." It was refreshing to have someone other than Ron or Harry with her when she did this, for the two of them would have just blindly led her to make contact. Draco's sensible thinking, which was on par with her own, would help her balance out any urges to act due to her emotional attachment. She had no idea how she was going to handle the first meeting with her parents after all. 

Hermione sat there in silence for a moment, pondering things before she timidly spoke up. "Draco? It's quite alright if you don't wish to answer, but I am rather curious about something. I don't want you to take it the wrong way either..." She trailed off, taking a sip of her iced tea as if it were liquid courage. She also knew she would have to vague, as they were in public in a muggle area. "A long time ago, in your family Manor, you were clearly hesitant to really be involved in much...I was just wondering, and it's perfectly alright if you don't want to answer, what made that change?"

Draco was unfolding the napkin which had been wrapped around his utensils and he moved the utensils off to one side of the table and his napkin to his lap. He spent a moment flattening the cloth out over his lap and then he looked up at Hermione and he was quiet when she asked him her question. He took a deep slow breath as he looked around the room for a minute ensuring no one was listening to them talking. Finally he looked back at her his eyes resting on her face. "Hermione you must understand. That was a difficult time. I was still in denial thinking what we were doing was the right thing. When you were there..." Draco stiffened feeling the waitress eyeing him he wanted badly to muffle their conversation. He was quiet for a second before he continued to speak his voice lowered and his right arm laying stiffly on the table as he leaned forward a bit. "When you were there at the manor. I would have wanted nothing else than to stop what happened. But it was my family what could I do when they assured me that everything was right, even with our lives at stake. Betray them? My aunt would have killed me without a moments hesitation. I couldn't." Draco sighed and he sat back in his chair pulling his arm off the table and returning it to the napkin in his lap which he was folding and unfolding in an attempt to keep himself calm. After a minute he bundled up the fabric and stood up. "I'm going to get a breath of air I'll be right back." Draco dropped his napkin on the table and tucked his chair in turning on his heel and briskly walking out of the restaurant like he couldn't leave it quickly enough. He stopped just outside visible from the window as he calmed himself down breathing and watching the muggles pass him by. After a few minutes he came back inside and sat down. "I'm sorry Hermione." Draco took his crumpled napkin and put it back down in his lap flattening it back out. "Let's wait to discuss that when we are alone." Draco looked up at Hermione and he smiled a bit looking at the waves in her hair. "I like your hair when you let it out of a braid its very nice." Draco tried to force a light conversation from some small talk and a compliment. Getting girls to talk about their beauty rituals had always worked for him when he'd wanted to avoid unwanted conversations he wondered if it would work with Hermione or if he'd need to find something else she'd relate to more easily.

 

The brunette witch frowned as she watched him quickly step out, almost rising herself to go after him. She refrained, instead busying herself with opening her own silverware and unfolding her napkin slowly. She bit her lip as she mentally scolded herself for the terrible topic. She was an idiot! Brightest witch, yeah right. The waitress popped over and asked if they were doing alright with their drinks and Hermione nodded almost absently, She was seconds away from getting up to go check on him when Draco came back to the table. 

"I'm sorry. You don't have to answer at all, I was just curious...I didn't mean to make you angry." She just had to get that out the minute he came back, her apology was so rushed she was surprised she got it out in one breath. She watched the platinum haired wizard re-situate himself before blatantly changing the subject with a quick 'we'll talk about that later'. She had no interest in continuing said conversation, but she could definitely change the subject to something else that was light and nowhere near serious. His compliment did cause her cheeks to warm though, and she did find herself idly bringing a hand up to touch her hair. "I'm just glad I grew out of the bushy mess it used to be. Yours too. Your hair I mean. It looks much better now that it's longer and you're not using half a gallon of gel to keep it slicked back. I rather like your more casual style too." Her mouth opened as if to say something else but she shut it again, opting to keep her following remark aside for later, cheeks remaining just a bit pink She hadn't intended to completely admit she could appreciate his appearance after all. 

The waitress once again returned, this time bearing their food, and Hermione's attention was soon diverted to a steaming plate of delicious looking savory seafood linguini. She glanced over to see how Draco's dish looked, and noted that it too looked like it would be good. Smiling and thanking the waitress, she waited a moment and smiled at her lunch mate. "Looks good, hopefully the hotel receptionist was right about the taste! Food was a great distraction, and definite welcome one. Fork in hand, she eagerly speared a piece of shrimp and took a bite, eyes closing momentarily as she savored the taste. Oh yeah, it was definitely good. Going for the pasta next, Hermione found she was just as pleased with that too. "Mine's delicious... want to try a bite?

 

After Hermione apologized and Draco redirected their conversation he just smiled at her like their conversation about the war hadn't just occurred but he wasn't planning on letting the conversation fall into oblivion. It was an important conversation they would need to have. It would hurt but after it was over they would be better for it. Draco laughed a bit remembering Hermione's hair the first few years of their schooling. "I remember it was like it had its own agenda. I always wondered how you managed it when it was like that." Draco shuddered a bit at the memory of his own hair he'd been emulating his father at that age his father in his younger years had worn his hair slicked back. "Yah glad I grew out of that its a lot less messy now." Draco smiled and he chuckled a bit. "Yah I realized I needed to relax my clothes when I moved to muggle London. I didn't realize muggles were quite so diverse in what they wear. I swear one of them I know, I don't think he's ever worn the same shirt twice I've seen him almost everyday for two months. It's very odd." 

Draco smiled seeing the blush resting on Hermione's cheeks as the waitress brought their food and he ignored his lunch for a minute but remembering to thank the waitress before she left. Draco watched Hermione as she started to work on her lunch and he enjoyed seeing her pleased with her food. When she offered him a bite he shook his head and turned to his own food. "No thank you but if you'd like to try some of mine that would be alright." Draco twirled his fork in the pasta before he started to eat his own meal pleased with the flavors. "This is very good. The best I've had in quite some time." Curiously he caught a calamari loop on his fork and he ate it he'd never actually tried it before mostly because he knew it was squid but it's sweet flavor despite a slightly rubbery texture surprised him.

 

"I used to think it did, I'm so glad it calmed down as I grew up. As for your friend, well, either he hates laundry or just has an extensive wardrobe. I'm going with hates laundry. Not even magic makes it any less tedious." The girl smiled, before falling silent again as she took another bite of her dish. Glancing over at his food, Hermione pondered for a moment before nodding to his offer. "I'm just interested in the calamari, I believe it's good, but not many places do it well. You sure you don't mind?" She wasn't about to go stabbing a piece of food on his plate. Firstly, they weren't close the way she was with any of the other Gryffindors. Secondly, she wasn't that type of person period. She didn't just swipe food from another's plate. She just had manners. The curly haired witch was content with the silence for now as the two of them ate their food in peace. 

It never failed, the waitress returned to check on them just as she had taken a bite. Every waiter/waitress she had always timed it so she could never answer. In this case she would have said delicious, but being as her mouth was full she just gave a nod at the waitress. Once she was about half done the muggleborn witch paused eating, laying her fork down and taking a drink from her iced tea. "I'm stuffed...this was a good choice. Very nice there Draco." Knowing that she would not be able to eat another bite, she took a quick glance around to see if she could spot the waitress to get the food wrapped.

"It's quite good I've never had it before but it's very sweet despite the odd texture. Of course you can have some. Here." Draco smiled and he took his spoon and caught a piece of calimari along with a scallop and he passed the spoon to her so she could try them. Draco returned to eating his lunch savoring the food which when he'd entered the restaurant he'd never expected to be so good. Draco shamelessly finished off his own meal before he leaned back slightly in his seat in the beginnings of what appeared to be a food coma. "Mmmm definitely going to need a nap when we get back to the hotel." Draco took a deep contented breath before he sat forward again. He watched the waitress take their dishes away also going to pack away the left over food Hermione had. "Would you like me to pay for lunch since you have taken care of our accommodations?"

 

Having tried the sample of his once he supplied it, Hermione couldn't help but agree with him. It certainly was delicious. The brunette witch blinked at her companion, before idly chewing on her lower lip. "If you'd like to. I hadn't even thought about the money aspect much honestly. They didn't charge me any more for the room than if it were just me..." It really hadn't even occured to her that she was now essentially paying for the hotel for two. It didn't matter much, at least right now. "Thank you for offering Draco. It's your call. We can always alternate with things too if need be." Shrugging, Hermione smiled at the waitress and gave a thank you when her food was placed back in front of her in a container and a bag. Nodding to the woman about the check, she looked back over across the table at her companion. 

 

Draco smiled, "I'm glad that you allowed me to come with you. The least I can do is to cover our food expenses." Draco looked at the waitress when she returned with the check and he took it from her thanking her he took a minute to look over the bill before he pulled out his wallet and he pulled out the nessicary amount of money and he folded it in with the restaurants receipt then he tucked a tip in the folder as well for the waitress. Draco put the folder down and tucked his wallet back into his pocket and he smiled at Hermione preparing to leave as he folded his napkin up into a rectangle then put it on the table. The waitress came back to the table and she thanked them for coming and then left. "Well shall we go Hermione?" Draco stood up and he waited for her before he started to walk out of the restaurant.

 

Smiling in thanks, the muggle born witch grabbed her to go bag and stood up. She paused a moment to stretch slightly, before she moved to follow Draco from the restaurant. Once outside she smiled, enjoying the bright afternoon sunshine. She was going to enjoy spending time here while she looked for her parents. To start out her 'working vacation' as she was now calling it, Hermione had no qualms being a little bit lazy. "You were definitely onto something when you mentioned a nap before. I can't wait to just relax and maybe watch something on TV. I figure it's ok to take it lightly on the first day here. Get settled and everything in the new time zone and whatnot." 

Walking alongside of him, the brunette entered the rotating doors of the hotel before heading over to the elevator and hitting the up button. They made their way back up to the room in a comfortable silence, and once back Hermione placed her food in the small fridge the room had. The fridge was barely big enough to fit the container, but a quiet murmur of 'capacious extremis' made plenty of room in the tiny little fridge. She popped a few water bottles in there from what the hotel provided as well, knowing that with this heat having chilled water would be nice. It was once all this was done that she let her purse down on the table in the room next to the books before she moved to plop down on her bed. "Did you want to see if there's a movie that we could both agree on watching? Or were you planning on just going right to sleep?" She had no qualms with either answer, still treading a bit lightly from her earlier line of questioning. If he decided he just wanted to sleep she would cast a silencing charm so he would have peace and quiet to do so.

Draco followed Hermione quietly back to the hotel trying to decide if he wanted to continue their previous conversation about the war it was important to him but he knew it wasn't exactly the most pleasant thing to talk about considering all that had happened. When they got back to the room Draco didn't waste any time laying back on his bed his legs hanging off the end of it he smiled a bit. "Why don't you pick something I'll watch with you for a little while." Draco sat up and he smiled at Hermione deciding to put off the conversation for later he didn't want to ruin their afternoon with what would be a very unpleasant conversation for both of them. Draco started untieing his boots and he dropped them down next to his backpack. Then he slid further onto the bed and he piled the pillows up and he leaned back on them and watched Hermione as she set up the television so she could find a movie to watch. "Do you think your parents have changed much?"

 

Following his example, the brunette witch shed her shoes as well. She went a step further and also took off her socks as well before dropping them off next to her shoes and climbing up onto her bed. Pulling her legs up to her chest, she shifted slightly to look over at him. "I really don't know if they have changed much... I mean it is possible that they are different as they have no children now...but I didn't give it too much thought. I'm sure things will be different if I am able to give them their memories back too...and if not well...at least they are safe and alive. Even if they don't remember me..." Hermione was silent for a moment before opening her mouth as if she were going to ask another question before she changed her mind. Once they were a bit more comfortable with each other she would probably ask. As it was when he stormed out before it made her a bit hesitant to ask things. Instead she shifted her attention to the room to look for the remote. 

Frowning upon spotting it, she held out her hand. She was feeling a bit lazy. "Accio remote control!" This was one area of wandless magic she was exceptionally skilled with. Once the remote had safely made it's way across the room into her hand she began to surf through the channels to see what was on. After a few minutes she gave up and instead went into the available movie list, intending to just pick something from there to bill to the room. Scrolling through that a moment she smiled and turned to the blonde wizard once more. "How about 'Now You See Me'? I heard from Ginny it was ironically amusing. It's about a group of thieves that use magic to aid their thefts."

 

Draco lay back on the bed and he listened to Hermione as she discussed if she thought her parents would be different or not. "I'm sure they will probably be quite a bit like they were before you were born." Draco blinked slowly looking at Hermione and he could see her bite back a question obviously uncomfortable at the thought of asking him it. He decided to let it pass though if she didn't want to ask her question that was fine he could wait for her to ask when she was more comfortable. He watched her as she started to flip though the channels fading rather quickly since he hadn't gotten much rest the night before and the food had lulled him into a comfortable state of exhaustion. When she asked about a movie and she described it he nodded and mumbled. "Sounds funny." Draco shifted around on the bed curling up and pulling one of the pillows over his eyes soon falling asleep before Hermione really even had the chance to turn the movie on for them to watch. 

 

Dracos dream was pleasant enough in the beginning he was with Hermione laughing and talking at the restaurant they'd had lunch in that day. The nice dream seemed to go on forever he couldn't really tell what they were talking about but it seemed like they were closer friends then they were at the present moment in their relationship. After what was nearly an hour in real time Dracos dream started to turn sour. In the dream the charms over his darkmark fell away and it started to sear with pain like he was being called to Voldemorts side but he just grabbed his arm in an attempt to cover the once again black brand on his arm. He tried to keep Hermione from noticing it but she saw it anyway and she screamed and scrambled away from him and when ever he tried to approach her she'd just run further away. The dream grew darker after they passed though a door which led them into the mannor Draco saw his deranged aunt ahead and he tried to stop Hermione but she ran right into Bellatrix's arms and started to be tortured. It was just like in his memory he was petrified in the corner dying to save Hermione to beg his aunt to stop to leave her alone but he couldn't his fear of his Aunt and Voldemort too great. With great effort he manage to look away just enough to disassociate himself from Hermione's torture. In his dream though no one came to save her and it happened over and over his aunt using her wand to carve the word mudblood into Hermione's right arm. Eventually as the dream neared its end Draco plucked up the courage to go to Hermione's aid and he pulled her away from his aunt holding her in his arms then from behind Hermione was killed by Voldemort then he was killed too. Draco woke up nearly throwing his pillow across the room in a cold sweat as he startled from his dream. Draco panted a moment before he figured out where he was and he pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped an arm around them the other wiped the sweat from his brow he hadn't realized hit but right before he'd woken up he'd screamed Hermione's name when she was killed in his dream.

 

The curly haired witch had noticed that he nodded off fairly early on, so she lowered the volume on the tv a bit and settled herself back against her pillows to watch. She had to admit that Ginny was right, this movie was ironically funny. Muggles definitely would think of something like this in terms of magic after all. The movie was at least 2/3 over Hermione was sure when she heard rustling from her roommate. Glancing over at Draco, she saw him toss a bit before seeming to settle back down. Shrugging, she turned her attention back to the movie, idly accioing a bottle of water to her so she could take a sip. It was then that he jolted awake with a cry of her name in such stark terror that she dropped the water on her lap in shock. 

Scrambling out of the bed, she accio'd her wand and cautiously approached where he sat upright in bed. Determining that the threat was in a dream, she tossed her want onto her now wet bed, mentally noting that she would dry it off after she checked on Draco. Tentatively, the brunette sat herself on the edge of his bed and reached out, laying her hand gently on the arm that was wrapped around his legs, inadvertently laying her hand over his concealed dark mark. "Draco? You alright...? I'm here if you'd like to talk about it..." She was hesitant in her offer, not wanting him to get mad at her if he felt she was trying to pry. However, as someone who knew how badly the war affected her and her closest friends, she had to guess he was in a similar boat. "I know we're new friends... and we don't know each other well yet, but I won't judge you based on anything that's happened. The past is the past Draco. We're adults, who have been through a terrible time. But that is the past, and we are moving on, changing things we didn't like as we go on."

 

Draco stiffened up uncomfortably when he felt Hermione touching his hidden darkmark inside himself he prayed that his spells were at the very least preventing her from feeling the scars that surrounded the darkmark which itself felt a bit like rough leather. He knew she'd still be able to feel the darkmark since it was designed to be unconcealable. Draco relaxed slightly when Hermione didn't pull away from him and he sighed wiping sweat off his brow again. "It's just a nightmare I've been having for a while." Draco looked at Hermione quite for a minute before he explained his dream to her. 

"I never wanted you to get hurt Hermione. If I could have stopped it without getting us killed I would have. But I was a coward afraid to do what I thought was right. My loyalty to my family and my fear of him stopped me." Draco put his cheek on his knee looking at the wall with the window on it as he sighed. Draco looked back to Hermione and he put his hand on top of hers lightly taking comfort from her being so close to him.

 

The movie was still playing in the background, so there wasn't complete silence as she pondered what he said, but the brunette witch was silent as she processed everything. As soon as her hand touched his arm she knew exactly what he was attempting to hide there. She knew he had the mark, it was a scar he had to bear just like she had hers. Shifting slightly, Hermione did something a bit unexpected. The muggle born witch climbed fully onto the bed and sat herself next to him, leaning against him with her head resting on his arm. She remained silent for a few moments, gathering her thoughts before she finally did speak. 

"Draco... I don't blame you for anything that happened. There is nothing wrong with being afraid. I was afraid during the war. I did some things I'm not proud of either. You did what you had to do to survive. You went against the nurturing you were raised with because your nature was good. Is good. You're not a bad person." She threaded her fingers through his, taking comfort in his presence as well as he was in hers. "That night in your manor...I know there was nothing you could do when you aunt was there. You didn't call me on my lie when I claimed to be Penelope. You never confirmed Harry was who you believed. I know you knew who we were, I know you never wanted to be involved in the mess that the war was. I vouched for you, you know... after the war. Harry and I testified to the Wizengamot about what you and then what your mother did. Did they ever tell you that? He may not like you much...but he could tell just as much as I could that you aren't evil. You had your moments, I do recall calling you a foul, loathsome cockroach a few times...but what happened because of Voldemort...you went from a schoolyard bully to a pawn being used by a madman." 

The curly haired witch held out her scarred arm, and took a deep breath. Casting a finite incantum, she watched her scar slowly become visible. "We all have scars because of what happened Draco...some are visible, some are not. We were children forced to grow up under duress....who we are now is not who we were during the war..."

Draco watched Hermione as she removed the spells from her arm. Draco shifted his legs laying one down and moving the other out slightly his own fingers curling around her left hand. Draco put his head on hers "I never knew that." Draco reached over and he tenitively touched her arm his thumb brushing over her scar. "I've always liked you Hermione ever since our first year at school." Draco let her hand go and he moved his arm to her back and he moved his left arm away from her scar and he took her hand back in his.

 

As his fingers curled around hers she found herself smiling slightly despite the somber tone of their conversation. "Now I'm the one who never knew that... I guess the saying is true, boys are mean when they like girls..." She turned her head slightly, not wanting to dislodge him but shifting her face more into his arm. "I can't say that I feel the same way..." She paused, squeezing his hand before she finished her sentence. "However...getting to know the real Draco Malfoy....and not the insensitive prat who used to torment me and my friends in school. We aren't children any longer..." Shifting slightly, she let her legs straighten out, tangling one of her jean clad legs over his straight leg.

"Yah I know I was a prat I always tried to pretend I didn't like you. Especially during our first three or four years, I was purposefully an ass trying to keep myself from acknowledging the fact I liked you." Draco let go of Hermione's hand and he sighed. "I'm sorry I was so awful to you for so many years." Draco continued to keep his hand around her back feeling better having her close to him. "Listen tomorrow I thought it might be fun when we take a break in the afternoon from working on finding your parents to maybe go down to the beach."

The curly haired witch was silent a moment, before nodding against his shoulder. She hated to move, but the movie had ended and the screen was flashing. Sitting up, she once again accio'd the remote control before casually flipping off the TV. Shifting now so she was able to face him, she let herself smile again. "I haven't been to the beach in a long time...that sounds like it could be fun. Sounds like a plan." 

Hermione moved again, turning her attention back to the remote for a moment before looking up at him. "We should probably do a bit of research...although I think I would much rather watch another movie and take a nap myself." Brushing a bit of her hair from her face, the muggle born witch glanced back down at her scarred arm. Mumbling the glamour charms once more, to hide her scar again. She crawled off his bed and grabbed her laptop from own before plopping herself back down on his bed.

 

Draco smiled when Hermione agreed that the beach would be a nice place to take a break. Draco stood up and he passed by Hermione when she was talking. "Why don't you go on ahead and take a nap I'll just start working on that book I brought if you would like I can wake you up in a couple of hours." Draco walked over to the desk and he picked up the dark book he'd gotten from his fathers office. He turned around and smiled a bit seeing Hermione getting her computer set up on his bed. "Or you could see if you can find your parents practice with your computer it shouldn't take too long? Right? at least if they have a practice." Draco walked back over to his bed and he sat down close to the head his back pressed against the wood headboard. 

He pulled a pillow into his lap and he opened the book slowly wincing slightly at the effect it was having on his darkmark. It almost always burned when he was near a dark artifact now since it didn't have a singularly evil beacon to be attuned to. Draco found himself rubbing his arm wishing the spells on his arm were gone, they itched, but he didn't want to have Hermione worry about him or have her get upset by his mark. Draco started reading the book from the beginning the first and largest section of the book on the cruciatus curse made Draco shudder as he remembered the times he'd been crucio'd by his Aunt Bellatrix and by Voldemort while also being legitimanced by Voldemort. His ocumency training had been an effective tool to protect himself against the assaults to safe guard his deepest secrets. It had even helped to dull the pain from being tortured slightly. 

The discriptions in the book about how effective it was made Draco shudder. Never would he even dare to consider torturing her parents it would destroy them. And Hermione would probably personally escort him back to Azkaban of course he wouldn't argue he knew if he did anything like that he deserved to be there. Draco thought about what they could do if there was nothing left they could do to bring back their memories. Finally Draco decided he could find a way to at least fabricate some fond memories of her as their Goddaughter or something to that effect so she would be able to be close to them when she needed their support in her life even if she couldn't tell them the truth.

 

Nodding her head, the brunette witch smiled and opened the laptop back up. She was glad he agreed with her. Striking a key to bring the device from hibernation, she waited while she secured an internet connection before moving to begin her search for her parents new practice. "They definitely would have opened another practice...they both spoke about it so fondly I can't imagine they wouldn't." Shifting slightly, she pulled one leg up in towards her body while the other leg remained stretched out. 

It took about a half hour of searching online, but she finally found it! "Got them! They have a practice here in Melbourne. They must be doing well because it looks like they are closed on Tuesdays and Sundays. So maybe I'll go scope it out when they open again on Wednesday, since it's Monday afternoon now." Turning slightly and looking over at him, the smile that lit her face felt like it belonged there, for once. "Part of the battle is won now, at least we found them...sort of. Finding their practice is a big start." 

Moving to stand, the witch shut her laptop and moved to place it on the small table in the room before turning around and heading back over to the beds. She noted the blonde wizard idly rubbing at the same spot on his arm when it finally hit her what indeed that spot was. "Draco....that spot you keep touching on your arm...is that where your scar is? You don't have to hide it if you don't want to... " She knew she sounded like a hypocrite having hidden her scar up again, but that was more for his benefit. She had come to terms with it for the most part. Sure, she still had nightmares about it, but he was still so hung up over everything that happened she figured it would be easier to hide it for now.

Draco looked up from the book when Hermione announced she'd found them or at least their practice. "Good that's great Hermione." The smile Hermione had on her face was from ear to ear and was a truly genuine smile he was glad that he was there to help her be so happy. "Visiting them at their practice sounds like a good way just to make sure it's them." Draco looked back to the book trying to force his way through the last few pages of the section he'd been reading his hand still inadvertently rubbing on his arm. When Hermione pointed it out Draco looked down at his arm even with all the spells he had over it he could see he was irritating it he pulled his arm away from the book and he sighed nodding a bit. "Yah... It's a pain to cover though I'll just let the spells wear off naturally." Draco touched his arm lightly gauging the strength of the spells. They still felt pretty strong but they would probably break while he was asleep or when they went to the ocean... He'd definitely have to recast the spells before they went to the ocean.

 

"If you say so. If you change your mind and decide to remove them I won't hold it against you. It's in the past remember." Nodding her head at him, the brunette sat herself down on her bed, shifting so she was sprawled out in the middle of the big bed. Flopping backwards, she shut her eyes and let herself relax for a moment, just focusing on her breathing. She was tired, but now that she found that her parents probably did have a practice here she was filled with excitement. Her body was a bit lethargic, but her mind was raring to go coming up with possibilities of how their meeting would go. Rolling herself over onto her side, the muggle born witch faced Draco as he finished reading his chapter, her eyes half open as she stared off into space. 

Despite her excitement though, she found herself nodding off fairly quickly. She wasn't a noisy sleeper, the war had taught her how to sleep lightly, but she did occasionally let out a soft snore. If one wasn't paying much attention the small sound would be easy to overlook. The days conversation plagued heavily on her mind in her dreams, causing a bit of a restless sleep for her too. While she didn't cry out, her expression morphed from peaceful to pained and she kept shifting restlessly; tossing and turning as her dreams held fast to her. It would always be bits and pieces of things. Snippets of memories that would change before she could really latch on and be involved in any one of them. Unlike Draco, Hermione's nightmares usually just caused her to flail about in her sleep. The only times she would ever wake up due to a nightmare was usually when she dreamt of the torture she suffered at his family estate. 

This nap was not one of those nightmares thankfully. She was able to sleep for about an hour before she finally woke up. Sitting up somewhat difficultly, the curly haired witch rubbed at one of her eyes as she surveyed the room, details on where she was and who she was with coming back slowly but surely. She remembered facing him as she fell asleep, and now was currently sideways on the large bed with a pillow tucked between her legs somehow. She knew fully well though that if she had crawled under the covers they would be a mess around her, or on the floor. It never failed. Turning around so she was once again facing him, she idly attempted to smooth her unruly hair down and gave him a sleepy smile. So much for being productive today. Finding their practice was nice, but it would have been a bit better for her to have actually cracked open a book or two like Draco had done to see if she could find anything on reversing what she had done.

Draco returned to the book when Hermione decided to take her own nap. He looked over at her a couple of times hearing her rustling around on the bed certainly not having the best dream she'd ever had but he didn't bother her she deserved a nap too. Draco finished the chapter on the cruciatus curse and he sighed moving his book and pillow off his lap as he leaned back streaching his back. Before he got up quietly and he walked over to the window and he pulled the curtain slightly so he could look out the window again he focused his looking on the beach and ocean which were just a few blocks away it looked like it would be nice even if it was crowded with muggles. Draco closed the drapes and he walked back to his bed and he climbed onto it and he lay down before he finally sat up again and started back into the book. When Hermione had finally woken up Draco had moved into the restless reader stage and he had somehow gotten his legs tucked up under his stumach his behind resting on his heels along with a pile of pillows supporting his chest and chin as he held the book with one hand and he turned the pages with the other. Dracos butt was inadvertently pointed in Hermione's direction he shifted rolling onto his back then he moved so he was sitting up after he heard Hermione wake up his book sitting in his lap. "Was your nap alright?" Draco looked down at the book and he shook his head a bit. "This hasn't been quite as helpful as I had hoped it would be but maybe I'm just looking at it wrong. I think I'll finish and go back through and mark anything I think might point us in the right direction of retrieving your parents memories then if you would like you could go over it as well and see if you agree."

 

The muggle born witch definitely appreciated the view before he shifted and realized she was awake. Tossing the pillow she'd had between her legs to the top of the bed, she smiled and nodded at him. "That sounds like a plan Draco, thanks for being diligent while I napped." Crawling across the bed, she made her way to the bathroom in the room and shut the door idly. Taking care of what she needed, the witch spent an extra moment attempting to tame her hair without magic, or a brush before giving up and emerging from the bathroom. "You're going to quickly see how horrible my hair can be. Everyone used to call it bushy, now it sort of does what it wants..." She laughed at bit at herself, easily knowing that he wouldn't make fun of her hair anymore but wanting him to know that she didn't mind a few playful jabs. She had a thick skin after all these years. 

Feeling a bit rejuvenated after splashing her face with cold water, Hermione grabbed her bag and pulled out her toiletries and moved to put them back in the bathroom. She debated changing out of her jeans into more comfortable pants, but decided to wait a bit longer. It was only afternoon. They might decide they wanted to go out for dinner or something. Moving back over to the desk, she grabbed a few books that she had brought before moving back to plop them on her bed, along with a notebook and an quill before climbing back on. "I'll get started on these books and then we can figure out what we're going to do for dinner if you'd like. Maybe explore the city a bit." Hermione shrugged idly, knowing that they would probably be there for a little while so there was plenty of time to explore the city, but knowing that there was only so much research one could do at certain times before they went crazy. She should know after all.

Draco finished reading the page he'd been on when Hermione woke up while she was waking herself up when he finished he closed the book and lay back on the bed closing his eyes for a little while processing the things he'd read trying to keep his brain from overloading with research. Draco sat back up when Hermione finaly sat back down on her bed. "Dinner? I'm still full from lunch it was very good. But a salad might be good for dinner. I certainly wouldn't mind doing a little bit of sight seeing who knows we might even run into your parents on the street." Draco smiled at Hermione and he laughed lightly seeing her unruly hair. He got up from his bed and he reached over and gently fixed a clump of hair which had been sticking out unnaturally. "I thought of something else while I was reading." Draco turned and he sat back down on his bed lounging against the head board a couple of pillows cushioning him. "I'm not that good at legitimancy I'm going to need some one to practice on. I know we talked about trying to recover your parents memories using the skill but its not that easy. It's not like opening a book and knowing where to look. The mind is a maze of throughs, memories, emotions, and other undefined things. I was starting to learn from snape how to do it but I know my lessons are no where near the skill level I'll need to be at if I have any hope of even finding the obviated memories let alone restoring them."

 

Laughing lightly at his accurate assessment, she too was still full from lunch but was unsure if he was hungry. "Well we don't have to go now! I mean when either of us is hungry." Sticking her tongue out playfully at the tall blonde, she had turned her attention back to her books momentarily and missed him stand up and approach. She did notice when he got closer and reached out, grabbing a bit of her unruly hair and straightening it for her. A light blush colored her cheeks and a small thank you escaping her lips. She watched him settle back down on his bed, and the brunette shifted a bit on her own before facing him. 

Hermione listened to him, nodding appropriately before gathering her own thoughts before speaking. This would be difficult for them she was sure. "Would it help if you practiced...?" Her voice was hesitant, especially because she didn't completely relish the idea of anyone rifling around inside her head. However, this was important. Besides, Draco had not given her any reason not to trust him, and trust him she did. It was a bit odd for her still, but she was quickly coming to terms with how quickly it was she was coming to trust and become comfortable with him. "If you do think it'll help...I'll let you practice on me. We can either try to obliviate a minor memory and you see if you can find it...or you can just try a few of the techniques mentioned in any of the books...except that one about using dark magic." The curly haired witch bit her lip, glancing down at one of the books on her lap before looking back up at him. She cared so much about her parents that she was willing to do just about anything to try to get them back.

 

"I've only barely started to grasp the fundamentals of the skill. I was practicing them on Wormtail when Snape was teaching me." Draco made a face of disgust at the memory. "If you'll let me practice on you I would appreciate it and of course anything I find will stay secret. If you'd like I can teach you too that way we can keep eachothers secrets mutually and we might have a better chance of finding your parents memories. If we work together." Draco sat up and he smiled at Hermione he wasn't planning on doing any Legilimency practice tonight except maybe reading the books he didn't want to mentally exhaust himself or Hermione before hey had even gotten a chance to meet Hermione's parents to asses the damage that had been Inflicted upon them.

 

"You would help teach me as well? Thank you!" Of course the resident bookworm would be enthusiastic about learning a new skill. Shifting herself slightly on the bed, the witch laid on her stomach sideways so she could still look at him, but more comfortably as they talked. Propping her head up in her hands, she failed to realize the nice view it provided with the blonde of her cleavage. She was wearing a tank top with an open cardigan over it after all. Kicking her legs in the air idly, the witch pressed on, completely oblivious. "I can't imagine anything good game from Wormtail's head...I'm sorry that he was the one you ended up having to practice on. But Snape was an excellent teacher, I'm sure you're much more proficient in the skill then you're giving yourself credit for! After all, after me I know you were top student at Hogwarts."

"Of course and Occlumency. You deserve to have your mind protected from the unwanted." When Hermione moved onto her stomach Draco's eyes were unwittingly drawn down to her cleavage which showed her smooth breasts and just a peek of her bra. Draco blushed lightly and he refocused himself. Nodding when she said using Wormtail as a learning subject was awful. "He was pretty disgusting the man spent twelve years as a rat. I think his brain got messed up spending so long in an animagus form. Honestly he's the only reason I'm not better at it. I didn't want to know his secrets." Draco shifted so he was laying on his side his eyes drifting down to Hermione's cleavage again liking how Hermione's breasts looked so nearly perfect from where he was.

 

Laughing lightly at the idea, Hermione nodded slightly. "He did almost get eaten while as a rat quite a few times. Too bad someone always caught him before Crookshanks could eat him. Myself included there. It would have saved us a lot of problems.... oh well..." The brunette witch shifted slightly idly wiggling her toes in the air before resting her head on one of her arms. This did not really hinder the view at all. "I do have a bit of experience with Occulmency, but not too much. Surprisingly, Harry was the one that was better at Legilimency and Occulemency than I was, but he was also usually in more of a position to need it than I was. I do want to brush up on those skills though. I know you're a very proficient Occulems after all. I'm honored to learn from you." 

Shifting again, this time onto her side, the witch stretched until she felt her back crack before rolling back onto her stomach into her original position, his view returning; she was still oblivious. She was used to lounging this way with Harry and Ron when the trio would hang out, and of course neither of them would have said anything either. Smiling softly at him once more, she idly twirled a lock of hair that fell in range of her hand as she spoke."Say Draco...I'm really glad you found me in Flourish and Blotts and I let you come along."

"Yah I'm on that list too. Millicent's cat almost choked on him some how he found his way into our common room." When Hermione talked about Harry being better at Occulemency and Legilimency than she was he shook his head and laughed. "Snape couldn't even teach him the most basic form of Occulemency. He must have finally figured it out on his own." Draco smiled and blushed slightly again when Hermione complimented him on his skill as an Occulems. "I'll be glad to teach you Hermione it's helpful to be able to block things away when you know some one is looking for it." Draco watched Hermione rolling about on her bed his feelings for her bubbling trying to find their way out but he breathed out and closed his eyes using his occulmency skills to block some of the strong feelings he had trying to keep it under control as he didn't want to push her away by being too affectionate and love struck when they were just barely picking up the broken pieces of a mangled childhood relationship. She needed to have feeling for him too before he could show her that he cared for her in the ways he felt that he cared for her. He smiled and looked over to her when she mentioned being glad he'd found her. "I'm glad too. I'm very glad that you let me come with you here. It's been really good cleaning up the skeletons in the closet so to speak."


	3. Games and Romance

Beaming at him once more, the muggle born witch shifted and grabbed one of the books she'd brought over to her bed. She pondered opening it a moment, before instead finally moving to sit up. Crossing her legs to form a pretzel shape, she let herself perch on the edge of the bed with her smile still intact, although it was now a bit sneakier. "Say...what do you say to a little game Draco? To help us get to know each other a bit better. A sort of 20 questions if you will..." This beat research for now. She knew it was important to do, but for the moment her mind just could not focus on the subject at hand. It kept drifting around. She was a bundle of nervous energy. So in order to focus, she had to burn some steam. "We can set limits with the questions, or just refuse to answer certain ones, it would really be no big deal. This way we can ask things that might be on our minds and just get a bit more out there, you know?" She really hoped he would agree, it had been a while since there was someone knew to play with. She was a bit of a know it all after all.

Draco laughed and he smiled at Hermione's suggestion it sounded ridiculous at first thought. They had gone to school together for years surely they would know each other. But thinking about it they had never been in the same circles most of what they knew about each other was from their very impersonal interactions or general knowledge. Draco nodded and he smiled again. "Yah I think that sounds like it could be fun. Let's be able to ask any questions and then we don't have to answer a question if we aren't comfortable with it." Draco shifted around on the bed so he was laying across the width a couple of pillows supporting his chest his arms crossed. "Why don't you start Hermione you can set the tone of our little game."

 

Hermione grabbed a pillow herself while he was making himself comfortable in a position similar to her previous one and hugged it to her. She kept her current cross legged position on the edge of her bed and hugged the large fluffy pillow to her chest. A mischievous smile crept onto her face and she nodded her head. "Alright, I can do that. We'll start off simple. Oh, it's too bad I didn't bring any Veritaserum with me...that always made this game fun." Pouting for a moment, the brunette witch idly tapped a finger to her chin in thought as she figured a good safe first question. She didn't want to start off the bat by asking him something bold...it was best to ease into those types of questions once everyone playing felt a little calmer about the game. "Alright Draco...aside from the obvious answer of Potions, what was your favorite subject in school?"

Draco blushed bright red when Hermione complained about not having veritaserum to make their game more fun. "I've got some do you want to use it?" Draco didn't wait for her to answer and instead he'd gotten onto all fours and crawled to the end of his bed before leaning down to his back pack he unzipped it and managed to acio the bottle out of the depths of his pack without using his wand. The bottle that came out was clear with a dropper in it. Draco smiled and he turned back to Hermione and he held the little bottle up "two drops should do it since we don't want to be completely pouring all our secrets out. What do you think Hermione?" Draco smiled at Hermione's first question and didn't hesitate to answer. "I really enjoyed transfiguration, McGonagall might have been a gargoyle when she wanted to be but she was always fair when it came to grading every one in her classes." Draco took the stopper out of the bottle and he dropped two drips of the liquid on his fingers before he shuttered the bottle and passed it to Hermione as he licked the potion off his fingers. Draco pondered his own question for Hermione finally deciding on one that he'd always been a bit confused about. "Third year you were taking a ridiculous amount of classes how did you get to all of them?"

 

The curly haired witch found that her mouth dropped open when he announced that he did actually have Veritaserum with him. He thought of a lot of things to bring, she was impressed. Blushing red herself when he turned to go fish it out of his bag, the brunette found herself staring at his backside as he crawled across his bed and inadvertently wiggled it in front of her while he was fishing it out. Snapping her jaw shut as he moved to turn around, Hermione buried her mouth and cheeks into the pillow she was hugging as if it were a lifeline. Her eyes watched him as he settled himself again and answered her first question before licking the two drops off his fingers. Again, she found herself slightly mesmerized before quickly snapping from her daze and accepting the bottle from him. Her fingers shook slightly and she willed them to stop as she dropped two drops onto the back of her hand before licking them off as if she were a cat licking up some cream. 

Sealing the bottle once more, the muggle born witch moved to hand it back to Draco as she answered. "Dumbledore had given me a time turner so I could take all my classes since some of them were at the same times. I took almost double the required course load that year and passed all my classes, including Divination. Lousy subject really." She accio'd a water bottle and took a quick drink before moving to settle the pillow she had been hiding her face in back in her lap. Her cheeks had cooled and it was there if she needed it again. For now she was alright. "Alright...did Snape give you preferential treatment? Even if only barely. He always seemed to, but he was sneaky about it so nobody ever knew for sure..."

Draco smiled and he watched Hermione as she licked the back of her hand off then she answered his question. A Timeturner of course. "That explains the day you punched me I could have sworn I saw you and potter next to the bridge right after you punched me but I just chalked it up to you jarring my memory." Draco watched Hermione as she resettled herself and he took the potion back and set it down on the night stand he'd put it away later. Hermione's next question was obvious. "Of course he gave all of the Slytherins preferential treatment but there was alway just a bit more for me. Of course when I messed up he was always really angry with me too like I had disappointed him." Draco thought about his next question for a second before he asked, "what's your favorite color?"

 

Hermione couldn't help but smile as she remembered how good it had felt to punch him that year. "Well, maybe I did hit you a little hard...but you deserved it. It was the first time I'd ever hit something like that...or rather someone." Smiling teasingly at him, the curly haired witch hugged her pillow to her chest nodding her head at his answer. It made sense that when he messed up Snape would be disappointed after all. She almost got lost musing about their relationship when his next question snapped her from her thoughts. Blushing lightly, the witch gave a little careless shrug. "They tried to get me to change it, they being all the Gryffindors....but I have always been partial to green. My bedroom had forest green accents when I was a little girl... What is your favorite color Draco?" She was keeping with the innocent questions for just a bit longer...then she would branch out.

"Maybe a little hard? You broke my nose if you look close you can see it there's a bit of a crook." Draco pointed to it leaning forward a little but he smiled at Hermione and laughed lightly showing he didn't really mind about his nose. That was one of his favorite things about her that she'd always been bold enough to stand up for what she thought was right and in that particular moment call him out for being a gloat about the situation with the hippogriff. Draco sat back on his bed and he listened to Hermione tell him her favorite color and he smiled a bit when it was green. Then she turned the question back around on him and he answered. "I like green well enough but I'd have to say my favorite color is dark blue sort of like sapphires." Draco started to rub his left arm again absently as he thought about his next question for Hermione. He finaly noticed and he pulled his hand away again but the spells he had on his arm felt oppressive the potion was taking effect making him want to remove the spells which hid the truth about his arm. Taking a few deep slow breaths he managed to block the feelings using his ocumency training. Draco settled back onto his bed leaning against the pillows again before asking his next question. "Where is your favorite place you've ever been?"

 

Blushing a bit as he teased her, the curly haired witch couldn't help again notice that he kept on rubbing at his arm. She found herself frowning a bit, noting that he was conscious of his rubbing at the scar. She let it go, for now, but she had a feeling it was going to keep coming up while they were here. Once again, him speaking took her off guard and she furrowed her brow for a moment as she tried to register what he said without making him ask again. "Favorite place I've been....hm.... Probably Paris. I went with my family once when I was a little girl... I've always wanted to go to Venice though." Smiling at the memories now, Hermione found herself hugging the pillow to her chest momentarily before she shifted and laid back on her stomach, unwittingly giving him that great view down her top again. "Alright, I've got a good one. I'm sure you were aware that your nickname in school was the Slytherin Sex God...right? How'd you get that nickname?" The muggle born witch obviously knew the mechanics of sex, but she was really trying to figure out if Draco was as big of a player as the school seemed to think he was. She couldn't keep the blush from her cheeks again, but this time she didn't mind it there. She was so used to playing this game with the girls, who were vultures, and the guys, who were sex obsessed that it was almost natural for this line of questioning to come up.

"Paris is nice I spent a bit of the time there with my mother one summer." Draco reminisced on the quiet summer and he nodded a little to Hermione's comment about wanting to visit Venice. Draco looked back to Hermione and blushed slightly noticing her breasts again and when she asked her next question he almost immediately said. "I could show you." After he'd spoken he processed what he said and bit his lip his face turning bright red with embarrassment he'd said the first thing that had popped into his head and now he wasn't even sure if he'd really answered her question or not.

 

The blush on her cheeks darkened at his immediate offer, not to mention the way he immediately turned red himself. He seemed to just reflexively be a charmer, and didn't necessarily mean to make that offer. Sitting up again, the curly haired witch bit her own lip as she pondered her next choice of action. Did a part of her want to know, yes she was not going to deny that. Was it a little early in their newfound friendship? Perhaps. She always made it a point to logically think about everything she did, which is probably why any sort of possible relationship she would have had with Ron never worked. She didn't normally do impulsive well, and the ginger seemed to be all impulse unless you were playing chess. 

"Draco... The muggle born witch was indeed in a bit of a pickle. His statement made the butterflies she'd been ignoring return with a vengeance and it made her feel a little inadequate compared to the witches he had probably been with before. She weighed out the pros and cons in her mind a moment longer before she finally seemed to come to a decision. Nodding her head slightly, Hermione relaxed slightly on the edge of her bed. She could admit she was attracted to him, not just in terms of looks but in terms of this new side of him she saw. He was definitely an intellectual equal, which was also a plus. Seeing him at his Manor while there during the war made her realize that he wasn't the bad person they had always believed he was, so it was easy for her to come to terms with the grizzly past they shared. 

"Slowly...but yes...I think I'd like it if you showed me." Her cheeks reddened at what was, in her opinion, a brazen answer, but she wasn't regretting what she had said, and she knew that was a good sign. She just hoped that he wouldn't mind her stipulation about slowly. They were on a mission to restore her parents memories, but there was no reason that the two of them could not bond and see where things might lead while on this mission. 

Dracos blush only faded slightly when Hermione didn't reel back away from him in disgust. He watched her stunned face as she seemed to be considering his offer. He sat up feeling nervous at what she would say the his stumach was in a tangle. He tried to keep his head while he watched her for what seemed like an eternity before she spoke his name and slowly articulated a sentence obviously considering the ramifications of what she was agreeing to. Dracos face finaly paled out to its usual light creamy color and he breathed slowly nodding. He responded sounding most contemplative. "Slow is fine." Draco looked at Hermione staying on his bed for a minute before he slid off and reached into his pocket and pulled out his wand and wordlessly moved the books and computer sitting on Hermione's bed to the desk stacking them neatly walking a bit closer to Hermione. "Do you want me to show you now? Or do you want to keep playing our little game?" Draco stopped a few inches from her bed tucking his wand back into his wallet. He was close enough for her to smell the light musky cologne he wore. Draco smiled and he stroked Hermione's cheek very lightly his fingers brushing over her hair.

 

Hermione smiled up at him when he admitted that slow was indeed fine. Her blush did not fade though, especially when he moved to neatly stack her books and computer on the table magically. Standing in front of her, she found herself tilting her head to look up at him as he stopped inches away from her. Not only could she smell his cologne (which mentally she could definitely admire), but their legs were touching since she had put hers back on the floor. Her skin tingled where he gently trailed his fingers over and the curly haired witch found her lashes fluttering at his gentle caress. Blushing a bit more fiercely at the intimacy of it all, she found the butterflies in her stomach back more than ever in this moment. 

The veritaserum in her system had her wanting to honestly answer his question while the part of her that was scared wanted to keep the safe route. "Can we do both?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, but it was true. She did want to keep playing with Draco, because she wanted to learn more about the man he was now. She also was undeniably curious about the chemistry between the two of them. Yet despite her usual Gryffindor courage, she found that in this moment tensely waiting for him was one of the scarier moments of her life. Making her decision, she idly patted the bed next to her, inviting him to sit next to her while they played for a bit longer. She knew he probably wanted to show her first, but she couldn't bring herself to be that bold. 

Draco nodded to Hermione's question and he stroked her hair again before he climbed up onto her bed and moved around behind her leaning against her head board using a pillow to cushion himself before gently tugging Hermione's arm to join him. He could tell she was feeling a little trepidation at the thought of sex. He decided to let them play a little more before he initiated anything. "I think it was my turn to ask you a question." Draco smiled and he wrapped his arm over her shoulder gently thinking about another question. "So besides reading what is your favorite thing to do?"

 

The brunette watched him curiously as he climbed onto her bed and settled himself against the headboard before he gently tugged her in order for her to join him. She took a moment to settle herself against the headboard herself using a pillow as a cushion before resting her head against his chest as she sat next to him. Taking a deep breath, both in order to relax and to savor the musky cologne he wore, Hermione smiled as she released it and felt herself relaxing. His arm threading over her shoulder definitely helped, although she still had those pesky butterflies. "I'm not very good at it yet, not like Molly, but I do love knitting. I also like doing jigsaw puzzles." Her hand came up to brush a bit of her curly hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear before she asked her next question. "Hm...let's see...if you had to pick one of the following as your career for 10 years which would it be? A seeker for a professional Quidditch team, an Auror, a Curse Breaker, or a Professor, which would you choose?

Dracos thumb gently rubbed Hermione's shoulder as she lay against his chest he felt lighter than air having her so close to him. He listened to her as she told him that she enjoyed knitting like Molly? Who was Molly? "Oh you mean Mrs. Weasely." Draco remembered every year she would send her children sweaters she'd made them for Christmas he usually managed to throw a few sharp jabs at Ron about the sweaters. Draco thought about Hermione's next question it was a difficult one. Something he hadn't been sure about himself for quite some time since the war. "I don't know. I guess I would like to do my best to restore my family name if there is anything left to restore..." Draco slowed rubbing Hermione's arm and he looked down at her. "I suppose a curse breaker first then an Auror. Not sure what I would teach if I went to be a professor at Hogwarts. Probably potions or defense against the dark arts. If you were a professor at Hogwarts what would you teach Hermione?"

 

"Yes, Mrs. Weasley. You're thinking about those hideous sweaters I know...but they're so cozy. I have a couple but I usually don't wear them anywhere but at the Burrow." She couldn't help but giggle a bit at the thought of the sweaters. They were usually very ugly, but they were oh so cozy and warm. As he moved on to answering her question Hermione found herself nodding in approval at his answers before smiling up at him with a slightly teasing smile. "I'm only a little surprised that you don't aspire to be a professional Quidditch star, you did love it so back in school. That was one time I would always remember Harry thinking of you in any sort of fond way; without you he would have nobody to ruffle his feathers and aim to beat on the pitch." 

Blushing lightly at her off topic little rant, she let herself ponder his question for a moment before peeking back up at him. "I can tell you it definitely would not be Divination,Herbology or Care of Magical Creatures. Maybe Transfiguration, or Charms...one of those two." The brunette shifted slightly against his side, pulling her arm from between them and resting it in her lap, folding her fingers together as she thought of a good question to ask. "Let's see...oh I've got one. If you were going to get a pet, what kind of creature would it be?

Dracos furrowed his brow trying to imagine Hermione wearing one of Mrs. Weasely's hideous sweaters but he was just drawing blanks. "I can't see you wearing one of those sweaters." Draco nodded when Hermione said she was a little surprised he hadn't chosen Quiddich. "A long time ago I would have lept on the idea of being a professional seeker, and I admit it would still be fun. But I need to find something else to do with myself." Draco looked down at Hermione when she looked up at him and he smiled at her thoughts on what she'd teach. "You were always really good at charms, probably my least favorite class next to care for magical creatures." Dracos arm resting around Hermione moved from her shoulder to her ribs and he gently traced her bones as she asked her next question. "Probably a pair of dogs. Irish wolf hounds to be precise. We used to have two when I was growing up. They were always the best dogs." Draco continued to lightly trace Hermione's ribs as he considered his own question for her.

 

The soft caress of her ribs sent tingles through her with each brush, and it felt nice. Hermione relaxed against him further, settling herself a bit more comfortably against him as he kept on with the gentle touches. "Dogs are nice...although I have only ever had a cat. As a child I always wanted a pet of any kind really, I'm not sure if I can pick one or the other until I've had one of each." It was the type of logic that should be expected from the brighest witch of their age. Her eyes fluttered shut for a moment before she softly spoke up again. "As for charms, it was always very easy to me. Especially making sure you had proper diction and enunciation before casting your spells...which is something I know that a lot of our classmates had trouble with. Opening her eyes after a moment of no question from him, despite the lulling calm that was being brought on by his soft touch, the brunette found the urge to be playful once more. She lightly poked him in the side with a single finger, peering up at him with an innocent smile knowing that both Harry and Ron hated it when she did that; it seemed to be a sensitive spot for everyone. "If you can't think of another question I'll be forced to take your turn~"

 

Draco listened to Hermione as she talking enjoying her voice. Draco jumped a bit his stumach clenching up when she poked his side. "Alright, alright I've got two questions. First, did your parents fight you about getting Crookshanks? Obviously they had some sort of objection to getting a pet since you didn't get one until third year at Hogwarts. Second, I'm curious about your stipulation of slow. Is it because your shy, because your not comfortable with sex, or do you just like it slow?" Draco lifted his hand up and he brushed her hair back away from her face then back behind her ear he ran his fingers along her ear smiling gently.

 

She couldn't help but giggle as he twitched once she poked him before settling back against him. He was rather comfortable she was pleased to discover. As he finally seemed to come up with a question the muggle born witch lazily tilted her head up to look at him as he asked his first question. "My parents didn't want me to have to worry about playing catch up in school compared to all the other kids who grew up with magic and a pet on top of things. It was my idea to wait until my third year along with my dad. It worked out. 

She obviously picked the easier question to answer first before finally looking back up at him once his fingers trailed along her ear. It sent another shiver down her spine, and she was fairly certain he felt that one. "I'm definitely a little nervous...I'm not really experienced at all..." Biting her lip, Hermione peered up at Draco through her lashes despite the blush on her cheeks again. "I'm not against it...I just don't want to disappoint you with my inexperience..."Looking away from him now, she shifted again, tempted to move away from him due to her embarrassment but she did indeed stay put. Instead she buried her face against his chest at her embarrassment. 

Draco contemplated Hermione's answer about Crookshanks. "Why didn't you have a pet before they found out you were a witch?" He was trying to keep things a bit light so that she didn't stress out about the sex they'd decided to have. But as she answered his second question he could feel her tensing up against him like she wanted to move away from him because she was uncomfortable. He could understand her shyness he doubted that she'd had very many sexual partners and more than likely it was some one who was just as inexperienced as she was. "Hermione." Draco gently reached over and he put his fingers under her chin tilting her head back up. "It's ok Hermione. You don't need to be scared of disappointing me. You just need more experience besides what you've had in the past. Sex is something that you learn as you go along and every one is different believe me I won't be the same as the last guy you were with and I certainly won't be the same as the next just like you won't be the same as the last girl I was with. That's what makes it fun. You have to learn what your partner likes together." Draco gently cupped Hermione's cheek in his hand and he rubbed it lightly with his thumb. "And you can always stop me if you don't like anything I'm doing, anything at all. I won't push you to do something that makes you scared or uncomfortable or that hurts." Draco gently leaned down and he kissed Hermione's forehead hoping what he said would make her feel better. Draco looked down at Hermione his grey eyes bright filled with truthfulness. He never wanted to cause Hermione harm in any way.

 

Calming herself at his tender touch, the brown eyed witch found herself smiling lightly at how easy he made it sound. She wasn't totally convinced, but he was the one with the experience here so she was going to have to trust him. "I trust you..." Hermione couldn't completely quell the butterflies, but she did find herself relaxing partially, her eyelids fluttering yet again as he kissed her forehead. Distracting herself a bit further, she dipped back to their previous conversation."My parents had always told me I wasn't ready for the responsibility of a pet...but it never stopped me from asking.." Her fingers gripped at his shirt tightly before relaxing again and taking a deep breath, her eyes shutting as she exhaled, relaxing fully against him now. She just needed an adjustment period. "It's my turn to ask a question...but I'm drawing a blank here..."

Draco rubbed Hermione slowly up and down her body his hand pausing at her waist when he stopped. "I don't belive that I'm sure you have some question burning a hole in your brilliant mind your just scared to ask it." Draco smirked at little at Hermione before leaning down and lightly kissing her cheek. "But if you don't want to take your turn that's fine, we can just lay here together and maybe have sex after dinner. Although things are a bit tense right now in regards to that, we could just wait a while. Until your comfortable with it."

 

Hermione found herself nodding, lost in the feeling of warmth he was evoking in her. His caress felt so nice, if she hadn't already had a nap surely she would have wanted one now with how relaxed she was. Bonelessly leaning against him, the muggle born smiled at him despite how awkward she had previously felt. "Mmm, you know me too well Draco. How about after dinner you can show me what I'm missing. I trust you to slow down if I get uncomfortable." The witch shifted and snuggled herself more snugly against him, her shifting enabling her to rest her head against him right in the crook of his neck. Her new position hid her blush again him and let her breath tickle the bare skin with each word spoken. "So where will this leave us...once we do end up uh...having sex?" Leave it to the brightest witch of age to still be doubtful even after everything, her own insecurities about her inexperience rearing their head in such a needy manner.

"After dinner sounds delightful." Draco closed his eyes leaning back against the headboard of the bed. Even with his eyes closed he was filled with images of Hermione so vulnerable laying across him like they did it all the time like they weren't the bane of each-others childhoods. His thoughts momentarily drifted to how easy it would be to destroy her trust almost completely in him in this one moment and his fingers coiled up on her hip. No he would rather be tortured than ruin this beautiful moment with her. This beautiful muggleborn he'd always wanted to be this close with. Draco opened his eyes and he looked back at her as she shifted around on him and she leaned against his shoulder sitting up. He considered her question and shrugged a little. "I'm not sure. Maybe sexual acquaintances. Or if we feel like pushing it... friends?" Draco straightened his legs out and gently slipped his hand under Hermione's legs and he shifted her so she was sitting across his lap leaning more against his shoulder. His hand moved out from under her legs and gently started to play across her thighs.

 

She'd fallen silent after his answer, a light 'hm' the only real sound she'd had made in response. The brunette had momentarily tensed as he lifted her legs before relaxing when he simply draped them across his lap. Picking her head up from it's comfortable spot, Hermione glanced down at his fingers trailing along her thighs momentarily, before peeking back up at him. She wasn't stopping him though, it felt nice. "I think friends is a better thing to aim for..." Her own hand came up finally and the muggleborn reached up, lightly brushing aside a piece of his hair that was askew, idly trailing her fingers through his silky blonde hair. "Sexual acquaintances sounds a little...detached. Almost like a fuck buddy." The curly haired witch found herself blushing again at her choice of words, she knew he would have known the phrase, what with him living in muggle London, she didn't have the say the vulgar word. 

Draco smiled his eyes meeting Hermione's when she lifted her head up and peeked at him. "Your right it does sound detached doesn't it." Draco laughed and he smiled. "Fuck buddy is almost more personal than what I came up with." Draco closed his eyes and he left his hand on her hip when she brushed his hair out of his face. Draco smiled and he opened his eyes back up looking at Hermione again. "I would like to be friends Hermione." Draco was much more relaxed than usual. 

 

Hermione kept smiling at him, her fingers moving down from his hair and lightly trailing along his cheek. "Well, we're on the fast track to friendship. Who knows, it could develop into something more right? After all that stuff with the war and everything I think I'd like to just go with the flow of things for once..." The brunette let herself shift to rest her head against his chest in a similar spot to where she'd had it before, which was easy since she was now essentially sitting sideways in his lap. Her hand dropped from where it had been trailing along his cheek and she began tracing idly patterns on his chest with a finger. Nothing specific, but it was even more soothing as she basically cuddled with him. "I thought of another question for you...do you think you'd get along better with Harry, or with Ron?" Her head tilted back as she peeked up at him again with a teasing smile on her face. She knew that any friendship or anything would be subject to criticism from her two best friends, but she hoped that they would all be able to bury their school hatchets and get along, at least civilly. 

"Going with the gentle flow will be a nice change from fighting the current that's kept us apart for so long. I'm willing to let this go where ever it wants to." Draco was about to continue speaking when Hermione announced that she had finally come up with a question for him. "Oh really?" Draco looked down at her and he listened as she asked her question. He pursed his lips slightly considering the two who had always flocked around Hermione, "Well the Weasely's and the Malfoy's have been on bad terms for quite a few generations it's been engrained in the two of us to be mistrusting of one another. Of course I'm willing to try and bring our families together again. But I have a feeling that he won't be so open to the idea he's always been more stubborn than an ox. I think I'll have better luck with Potter especially considering he did put in that word with the Wizgamot for me. I know you pushed him to do it but what matters is that he did it, he could have said no." Draco turned his head a bit and he nuzzled his nose gently into Hermione's hair, he still wasn't comfortable referring to Ron and Harry by their first names he was still too distant from them. He'd also always been in the habit of referring to people by their last names and he was still trying to adjust to calling people by their first names.

 

Biting her lip to stifle her laughter at his accurate statement regarding Ron and his stubbornness, Hermione stopped tracing and let her hand flop into her lap. "You have a very good point. Ron has the emotional capacity of a teaspoon. It may take a bit of getting used to. Harry on the other hand, should be much easier. As much as I loathe to admit it, Harry might be more mature than me at times. Far cry from the boy I befriended all those years ago. Everyone is, myself included." Idly tracing her fingers back up along his stomach to where she'd been tracing random shapes before, she moved her fingers with purpose this time, attempting to see if he were ticklish there. "Do you have any more questions for me Draco?" She had no clue if the veritaserum they had taken had worn off yet (she would assume so) but they were being honest with each other regardless so it really didn't matter. That and the brunette was too comfortable in his lap to even be willing to suggest moving for something as trivial as that. Later, when they were hungry sure, but not now.

"I imagine his initial reaction to us will be most unpleasant even if we don't go any further with each other besides being friends. He still hates me for the first time I called you a mudblood when we were in school." Dracos arms tensed around Hermione for a moment and he moved his head and rested his fore head on her shoulder. Draco let go of Hermione's legs and he lifted his head running his hand back through his hair laying back against the headboard again. The pain he'd put Hermione through still weighed heavily on his chest and although he'd been trying to let it go since her finally joined Hermione on her trip he was having trouble letting the guilt go. He hoped that by the end of their little trip he'd be able to talk to her about things like this without completely closing himself off blaming himself. He knew the feelings would never go completely away but he wanted to be able to handle his mistakes. Draco laughed a bit feeling Hermione trying to tickle him. He looked back down at her relaxing a bit as he took a deep breath in and out. "Sure I've got one or two. Do you actually think your going to tickle me before I tickle you?" Draco laughed and he slipped his hand down to her side and he skillfully wiggled his fingers up her side burrowing his face into her neck and pressing his lips against her he blew a very awkward raspberry against it doing his best to hold her with his other arm which was wrapped around behind her back. Draco cut loose with Hermione again being more silly with her than he'd been in a long time with anyone.

 

Sensing the change in his mood, the brunette had paused her tickling attempts as she feared another serious conversation would have to take place. That was definitely not to be. She felt and heard him laugh and the furrowed brows and pensive look on her face quickly morphed back to a smile. Her brow rose in question before realization dawned on her mere moments before he latched in and began to tickle her. He held her tightly to him as his hand tickled her right side, which ironically enough was usually her least ticklish area. She squirmed and laughed while still in his lap, trying to get out of his hold without giving in. "Two can play this Draco!" The muggle born witch moved her one hand to attempt to grasp his tickling fingers. The other moved to start on his side in an attempt to counter tickle him into stopping. As his face pressed against her neck, then his lips, she found herself laughing a bit louder. Who knew raspberries would tickle that much? It caused her to squirm even more in his lap her free hand shifting a bit lower to slip under his shirt to tickle his bare side. The other hand would occasionally grasp his fingers but she could never keep a good grip, which meant that he was free to keep tickling. With the way he was holding her she was using opposite arms to try to stop him and take her revenge, so once he pulled back just enough she was unable to reach, especially as she kept attempting to squirm away from the tickles without being able to flee from his lap and embrace.

Draco laughed and he continued to tickle Hermione dodging her attempts to grab his hand. Her other hand managed to land a well aimed tickle on one of his most sensitive spots and he yelped accidentally letting Hermione slip out of his arms. Draco jumped after her and he caught her in his arms and laughed rolling around on the bed with her. Draco managed to catch her between his legs pinning her down momentarily before he tickled both her sides leaning over her. "I got you Hermione!" Draco finished tickling her and he rolled off of her laughing his face flushed with the excitement the tickle game had brought on. He rolled slightly to the side and he put his hand on her stomach and he smiled waiting to see if she'd try to attack again.

 

The muggle born had almost escaped from him when he caught her again and she laughed as his tickle torture resumed. The brown eyed witch was laughing so hard tears were starting to gather at the corner of her eyes. He finally relented and she laid there, panting as she tried to catch her breath. Her eyes drifted shut as she tried to catch her breath but she could feel his eyes on her from where he was lying next to her. Slowly opening her eyes, Hermione was still trying to catch her breath as she stared at him while he stayed half propped above her, his hand on her stomach so he could have easy access should she begin to tickle him once more. "That was fun. You definitely did get me...I'll get you back one day..." He had no way of knowing when her idea of one day was after all. Plopping back against the bed, her hair almost like a halo spread around her head, the brunette finally caught her breath, before smiling up at him. "You said you had a second question?" She figured trying to change the subject would be a good tactic. The witch peered up at him with a smile still on her cheeks, not even realizing he was almost poised on top of her. She was relaxed and comfortable, having fun with him and rolling around. Her cardigan was falling off one shoulder and the strap for her tank top had fallen slightly from her shoulder as well, but in her new laying down position she didn't even notice the wardrobe issues.

 

Draco rolled all the way onto his stomach and he propped himself up on his elbows when Hermione admitted defeat. "Well two more again. One for the game and one not." Draco noticed Hermione's straying tank top strap and he reached over and pushed it back onto her shoulder. "Ok game question. You were on and off with Weasley for a long time. I'm curious how far you went with him. You don't have to answer if you don't want to." Draco relaxed a little bit more onto the bed looking at Hermione waiting for her answer before he asked his second question. "Do you want to go on a walk? We could burn off some of our breakfast maybe scout out a nice place to have dinner it would also just be good to get out of the room we will be spending a lot more time here after we find your parents since we will be doing research."

 

The curly haired witch shifted as well, instead of lying on her back now she was propped up on her side, facing him. Laying her head on her arm, the muggleborn witch pondered which question to answer first. "Trying to gauge my experience level eh? Well...Ron and I...well we were kind of a disaster together. Yet it always sort of seemed to fall together that we would go back to each other.. We snogged, more so after the war than ever before really. We...we only had sex a few times...it didn't really help things between us like Ron was convinced it would. So we decided to stop pretending."Rolling back onto her back, her arm came up and rested along her forehead as she stared at the ceiling. "We were both better off. He's dating someone at the moment, and he seems happy, which is good. He deserves it." She fell silent again before finally moving to sit up, wordlessly accioing one of her travel books about Australia. Turning back to him with a smile back in place, she idly began to flip through the book, looking for something specific it seemed. "A walk sounds nice, we can even get some exploring done too. There are a few places I do want to see..." Hermione trailed off a moment, glancing up away from her book before giving Draco a questioning look. "If that's alright with you that is..?"

Draco listened to Hermione his head resting on his hands which were curled lightly into fists under his chest and he nodded slowly listening as she told him about her time with Weasley. Draco smiled a bit and he placed his hand on her shoulder for a moment when she looked a bit sad at the mention of him having a new girlfriend. Hermione had spent a long time dating Ron it wasn't surprising she still cared for him enough to be discontented by his new girl friend but Draco knew she would be alright. Hermione was doing what was best for her own self esteem by leaving him. Draco smiled at Hermione and he rolled over onto his back and sat up stretching a little as Hermione had her book come to her. "Doing a bit of sight seeing would be nice. As long as we are having a nice time I'll be good doing just about anything with you Hermione." Draco turned himself around on the bed so he was sitting close to Hermione facing her still laying down body watching her flipping through her book. "What were you wanting to see?"

 

Shifting so she too was sitting up, she didn't answer him verbally at first, simply flipped through some of the pages of her travel guide to the ones she had bookmarked. She knew based on proximity they would do some of them at a later date and time...but for now they could probably go visit some of the Arcades and Laneways that she had read about. There were restaurants scattered among the shops and it would be nice to see the architecture. Places like the art center and the Queen Victoria market could wait until they had a bit more than just a few hours they were willing to see. Not to mention they were farther away so travel time included it just wasn't worth it. "Do you have any that stand out as somewhere you would like to see?" Never let it be said that Hermione was not considerate of others. Peering up at him from her book, she couldn't help but blush lightly over her obvious excitement about it all. She was such a nerd sometimes.

Draco watched Hermione as she flipped through the brightly colored travel book it seemed to be highlighting the most popular places for muggles to go and he shrugged a little she questioned him about where he'd like to go. "Where ever you want. But at some point I would like to pass into the magical part of the city so I can stop into an apothecary. I want to pick up some ingredients for a memory potion I think might be helpful." Draco paused Hermione's hand on a page about a botanical garden. "Maybe a walk through a garden at some point." Draco smiled and he shrugged getting up off the bed. He took the Veritaserum from the table between their beds and he tucked it back down into his backpack he paused a moment looking back over to Hermione. "Oh by the way I do have a contraceptive potion as well. Probably should have mentioned that right after we decided to have sex." Draco smiled a bit and he closed up his backpack. Draco stood back up and he walked over to Hermione. "So do you want to wait a bit longer or do you want to get going?"

 

Smiling at him, Hermione closed her book for a moment, merely watching him as he got up and put the Veritaserum away, admiring the view as he bent over before looking down at her lap quickly so he wouldn't catch her. "Well then the Arcades will be a good place, one of the equivalents of Diagon Alley is hidden there. The wizard market is tucked away in there. I have the info on it here..." Blushing at his thorough packing, Hermione was grateful that he was prepared at the very least. Smiling as she stood up as well, she poked him in the arm with a teasing smile. "Someone made sure to come prepared I see..." Stretching until she heard a few healthy cracks in her back, the curly haired witch found herself nodding to him. "We've been lazy long enough, let's get going."

"Oh you want to go there today? Alright that's fine I wasn't really expecting to go so soon but at least now I'll be able to get started on that potion sooner rather than later." Draco blushed lightly when Hermione poked him pointing out that he might be a little over prepared. "It's a different country. I wasn't sure how we would get on but I figured at some point I'd find some one to hook up with for a while." Draco ran his hand teasingly down Hermione's back his fingers very gently tugging on the pockets on the back of her pants. "I'm glad that we're getting on well." Draco followed Hermione out from between the beds and he picked up his backpack and he put it over his shoulder "if we're shopping I'll bring my pack so we can put our purchases in it." Draco passed by Hermione and he held the door open for her so they could leave and he also double checked the tag on their room said do not disturb so they wouldn't be found out for duplicateing the bed. Once they were out of the room Draco was humming quietly as they went to the lift to head out onto the street and into the hot crowded streets of a mid afternoon Australia.

 

Giggling at his response to her teasing, Hermione couldn't help the shiver that went down her spine as his fingers trailed down along her back. His tugging at the back pocket of her jeans made her remember what she wanted to do before she left. While he was finishing grabbing his backpack, she turned to rummage around in her bag before pulling out a small beaded handbag and moving to hand it to him to put in his bag. "Just in case...the bag has an undetectable extension charm... this way if we do end up with more than we think we have the room." She wasn't called the brightest witch of their age for nothing after all. While he double checked the 'do not disturb tag' she made sure the wards were set before tucking her wand back into her small purse. Looping the handle around her wrist, and grabbing her travel guide book, the brunette smiled at him and thanked him for holding the door before leading the way to the elevator and then out of the hotel. 

Once they were outside in the heat the curly haired witch mentally thanked herself for putting her hair back into a braid so it was slightly manageable. With this humidity it was going to be fun. She paused momentarily, idly rolling up the cuffs on her pant legs to make them into capris that now let her legs breathe a little bit easier. It wasn't overly hot yet, but in a crowded area on a bright sunny day you never knew. Hermione smiled apologetically for making him wait while she adjusted her pants, moving to grasp onto his arm as they walked. She held the book loosely, not needing it just yet. It was more of a formality than anything, since she had studied the map of the area a bit the night before. "I have another question for you Draco...are you a morning person, or a night owl?" She figured while they walked and took in the sights they could also continue their game, if he was up to it that was.

Draco laughed when Hermione pulled out her beaten up beaded bag he remembered seeing it when she'd been at the mannor during the war. "Yah my pack has one on it too. I've pretty much been living out of my backpack since I went on the run with my parents after the war." Draco accepted Hermione's bag any way figuring if they decided to split up for any reason it would still be good for her to have it. 

Out on the street Draco waited patiently looking up at the nearly cloudless sky as Hermione rolled her pants up to cool herself off a little. He smiled at her when she caught up with him. Draco took Hermione's hand and he moved it from the crook of his left arm down to his hand and he held her hand gently in his then he kept walking down the street in the direction they had started to go. Draco looked over at Hermione and he shrugged a little answering her question. "I'm a bit of both it depends. I can stay up late then wake up early the same morning but some times I'll sleep all day and be busy all night." Draco shrugged again. "I function well enough on a little bit of sleep better than too much sleep actually. What about you?"

 

Biting her lip at his statement, she curly haired witch frowned a bit, not having realized he was on the run for so long after the war. It would make sense, that until the majority of the rogue Death Eaters had been caught that they would have had to be on the run. Deciding to hold off her questions on that subject until they were safely back in their hotel room, Hermione instead moved to link their fingers together once he shifted her hold. At first she had thought something was the matter the way she had grasped his arm, but then she realized which arm it was that she had inadvertently grabbed, and decided that had played a small part in moving her. It was fine, she didn't want him to be uncomfortable, and frankly this was nicer than just hanging off his arm like some slag might. "I'm the same actually, maybe due to the chaos of a few years ago. I have always been pretty good with reading until I pass out then waking up and being good to go." Her attention was momentarily caught by a bookstore as they walked and she perused through the front window as they walked, deciding that they had plenty of time; she didn't need another distraction yet. "I do enjoy occasionally having lie ins and sleeping until lunch though, those are fun sometimes. Almost as if I'm catching up on all the sleep I'd missed. Illogical I know."

Draco laughed a little when he noticed Hermione looking at the books lined up in the window of the shop and he smiled at her. "Come on Hermione we've got plenty of books to deal with back in the room." Draco gently teased Hermione for her love of books but he let her pause to glance over the covers anyway. "What's your favorite book muggle or otherwise?" Draco continued with Hermione down the crowded streets his newfound curiosity about muggles peeking out from behind his composure as he watched them passing or talking.

 

The brunette witch smiled playfully and stuck her tongue out at the blonde before reaching over to lightly poke him in the side. "I know that, prat. I was juuuust looking." She squeezed his fingers gently in a show of affection to make sure he knew she was being playful before even beginning to consider an answer to his question. "Hm...favorite book, despite what everyone thinks, is not Hogwarts: A History. I do enjoy that though, but my favorite is actually Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Although I do like Jane Austen and Ann Rice as well. To name a few authors. I'm also a huge fairy tale fan..." Glancing around a bit, she gently tugged his hand and led him down another street towards their destination. Hermione couldn't help but notice that his attention seemed to be captured by all the muggle culture surrounding them, and she had to admit it was cute. She would never admit to him that it was cute, for fear of upsetting any manly sensibilities he had, but privately she could admire it. "What about you Draco? What's your favorite?

 

Draco smiled at Hermione and he laughed when she poked him and then squeezed his hand which he squeezed back. He knew that they were doing much better and that he had some leeway to playfully tease her. Draco tilted his head a bit as they walked listening to Hermione as she talked. He glanced over at her imagining her pretending to a princess in a fairy story when she was little. "Ann Rice is good. Recently though I've been reading books by an author Stephen King I think I'm starting to like him." Draco leaned over and he kissed Hermione on her cheek considering what he should ask as his next question. In the end he couldn't think of a good game question and instead asked. "When are you going to tell Potter and Weasley I'm here helping you?" He pulled slightly away from her giving her a bit of space to breath but he didn't let go of her hand he didn't want to completely detach himself from her. Telling them wouldn't be very pleasant he was sure they would insist on her coming home or coming to save her or they would accuse him of something ridiculous but if they held it off until later into their trip he imagined it could be much worse especially if they let themselves fall into a more or less romantic relationship then they blind sided the two with that information with out even warning them that they had been talking. As far as either of those two knew he was still hiding out in muggle London from the rest of the Wizarding world.

 

Hermione couldn't help but blush when in response to their teasing he leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. She wasn't used to anyone being this affectionate, and she rather liked it even if it did fluster her a bit. She nodded her head in response to his current author, knowing who Stephen King was and agreeing that he was a talented writer. "All of the books by him I have read are good. I've also seen a few that were adapted into movies...we should watch one sometime."As he pulled back slightly to give her space when he asked her next question she found herself pouting without even realizing it. If she had known, then she would have made sure he never saw. The brains of the golden trio didn't pout when she didn't get her way, she made a logical argument. 

"Actually...at the very least Harry probably knows by now. I mentioned it in my last owl to Ginny. She sent me a message last night with well wishes. They are together. I'm sure he's found out by now and is telling Ron as we speak. My mobile will probably go off in a few hours once they remember that's how they'll have to contact me. I do hope it'll be a video call...then you can smile and wave...if you want to..." She bit her lip after a moment, wondering idly if that would be such a wise idea before shaking her head. They were adults, they needed to start acting like adults. Draco had clearly changed, and it was for the better. Her best friends would just have to accept it. Besides, it wasn't like they could just come after her on a whim anyway; getting clearance for international port keys/apparition took weeks. They also were in the middle of Auror training, so that would not be something they could just drop. No, everything would work out in the end. "Does it bother you that I already mentioned it before we even left?"

Draco was mostly quiet as he listened to Hermione as she explained that Potter and Weasley probably already knew since she'd sent a letter Weasleys sister telling her about their meeting and departure together. He nodded absently for a minute as he considered the possible outcomes. When Hermione mentioned that they would have to contact her via a mobile and that she hoped it would be a video call relaxed him some if they were able to see him they might be a bit more convinced that he was just trying to do the right thing. "That sounds good it should help them relax a bit." Draco moved back closer to Hermione and he shook his head when she asked if it bothered him that she'd told them before they even left London. "No it's ok I didn't mention seeing you to my mother. She thinks I'm still hiding in london. We both have our ways of dealing with those close to us." Draco sighed and he ran a hand back through his hair. "It's not that I don't trust her I just think it's better for her to think I'm close." They kept walking reaching the arcades and Draco resumed their previous conversation to relax things a bit. "I think watching one of his movies would be good. Certainly interesting at least to see the books interpreted that way."

 

Hermione nodded her head as she absently looked around at the arcades, her teeth beginning to chew on her lip again as she pondered. She was silent for a bit, seeming to mull over something before peering up at him and gently squeezing his hand with her own. "Does who I am have anything to do with why she would probably react unfavorably?"She was of course referring to her blood status. While her best friends would be sure to be in at least a little bit of a tizzy because of her company, it was because he was a supreme git and always sort of negative. Not to mention the whole opposite sides of the war thing. They had at least a bit of a reason. If her blood was going to cause problems when she had personally done nothing...well, it always upset her for that sort of prejudice to exist, even if she couldn't really do anything about it. The muggle born witch shook her head, as if that would dispel the negative thoughts that had begun to form in her mind. She glanced around and nodded slightly, knowing that they were almost to the entrance she had read about. "We're almost there..."

Draco looked at Hermione and he quickly shook his head. "No me not telling her had nothing to do with that. While she holds some prejudice against anyone who isn't a pure blood it's not a mania like my father or my aunt. After the war she always held you in a higher regard. She'd probably be glad that I decided to help you. I just didn't want her to worry more than she already does it makes her ill to worry constantly." Draco sighed and he gently rubbed Hermione's upper arm with his free hand comforting her. "Things have been hard for us since the war ended. She's done her best to change but changing a life time of practiced prejudice is hard to get rid of. Even I'm not completely perfect I'm still short tempered when it comes to dealing closely with muggles. I'm trying my best to be better though." Draco stopped Hermione when she said they were getting close and he wrapped his arms around her. "You know how I feel about the things that have happened to you. I don't want the prejudice to continue. I don't want more people to get hurt because of it." Draco let go of Hermione's body and he looked at her his fingers still intwined with hers.

 

The brunette was pulled from her surveying of their surroundings as he pulled her into a hug. She was tense for a moment, before relaxing in his arms, letting herself rest against him momentarily before he pulled back. "I do know...and I believe you...I just had to ask. I'm sorry if I offended you..." She knew what his mother had done for them during the war. She knew they had been turning things around, but she didn't know how successful things had been. The muggle born had let her insecurities get the better of her for the moment, and was truly sorry. Looking up at him, she squeezed their linked fingers again before giving him a small smile. "I would expect your mother to worry about her only son, especially given what we've all gone through. Hopefully she won't be too mad if she finds out before you're back?"

"It's ok Hermione I don't want you to think I'm hiding this because of that I'm not." Draco started walking again with Hermione his hand gently squeezing hers back. "I seriously doubt she will find out until I tell her. She's got hardly any contact with anyone besides myself and the law enforcement officers who guard the mannor. No one is allowed to visit except for myself and she can't leave." Draco sighed heavily. "No I doubt she knows anything. My father will probably know first if either of them find out anyway." Just as they were reaching the gateway Hermione's mobile started to go off ringing and Draco slowed his walking. "Maybe you should just call them back later." There was a tone of slight nervousness in dracos voice despite the fact he knew it was illogical to worry about one of them doing anything to him when they were still in London and it would be impossible for them to come to Australia on a whim to 'protect' Hermione.

 

Nodding her head she absently walked along next to him, her mind going a mile a minute with possible questions to ask to get their game back on and derail the sort of serious mood that had settled. She had been so focused that her phone going off had caused her to jump, it clearly startling her. Laughing lightly at her own misplaced panic, the curly haired witched squeezed his hand again and withdrew the device from her back pocket. "Don't worry, this will be a quick call, forgive my poor phrase choice, but a proof of life. I will tell we'll talk more later. We have to figure out a good time to call anyway due to the time difference." She pulled out her mobile and hit the accept call button, noting that it was Harry's cell on the caller id, and it wasn't a video call. She didn't move away from Draco, and he could clearly hear what was being said on both ends as she had the volume on her phone turned up. 

"Hello Harry...before you start can I just assauge your worries and say that I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself and making my own decisions. Just want to remind you and Ronald of that fact, because I'm sure he's there with you and you've put me on speaker phone...   
Blimey Mione how did you know I was here too??   
We are just calling to check in...we were good and gave you a little time to get settled...How is Malfoy treating you?   
I still don't understand why you wouldn't let us go but you let the fucking ferret go with you...   
Ronald! That's enough! You're being a child. I already explained in the letter that Draco wishes to make up for things that happened in the past, and I agreed to let him help me. While I love you both dearly, Ron you would not have enjoyed the extensive research and work this is going to take. You either Harry. Draco is also a skilled Occulems, not to mention he's also incredibly smart...if you'd recall I would only barely beat him in school myself. I appreciate you two wanting to help, but you have your own things to worry about. I'd also like to remind both of you that originally I was coming by myself, Draco offered to help and I let him.   
Draco? Since when has Malfoy been Draco? Mione, he's a prat!   
Ronald Billius! You better be thankful I'm not there to smack you!   
RELAX Hermione, I just hit him for you. I told them you were fine, but they wanted to call. Don't look at me like that you two, I told you two to wait but noooo. I told you she'd be fine, and here's the proof.   
Thank you Ginny! Yes, I'm quite alright. Draco and I are actually out and about to head to the Australian version of Diagon. I'll check in with you guys later ok? We can even do a video chat and if he's ok with it, Draco will talk to you as well, sound good?" 

She left her question open ended, her brown eyes looking up at Draco to ask if this was ok for her to say. She was also quite apologetic for Ron's words, and she hoped he didn't take things to heart. Once she had an affirmative answer from the blonde, she ended the call and moved to pocket the phone back in her pocket. "That went a bit better than I expected honestly..."

Draco nodded and he listened to Hermione as she talked to Harry and Ron back in London. His fist clenched a bit when Ron continued to be as stubborn as he ever was. Draco nodded when Hermione said they would call back later and that he could talk to them then. "That's fine." Draco smiled at Hermione relaxing after she hung up the phone. "Yah it did go better than I thought it would too. We will have to see how tonight's call goes in sure at least one of them will insist on coming here." Draco shook his head a bit but smiled over at Hermione. "Come on let's get going so we can do the shopping we need to do. I think I want to try and start that memory potion tonight."

 

Nodding her head, the brunette smiled and began to lead the way again once she had felt him relax. They were basically here anyway. Entering a somewhat dingy looking building that reminded her of the Leaky Cauldron, Hermione led Draco back and performed the sequence she had read about to open the passage to the Australian version of Diagon Alley. Once the bricks parted, she led the way inside and glanced around curiously. It looked eerily similar. "How long will the potion you want to brew take? You want to head to the apothecary supplier first or take a look around? Now that we know where we are we can always apparate back if need be instead of walking, although it was a nice walk through the city..."

"It will take a week but fortunately most of that time is spent steeping so we wont need to take too much time watching it brew. I'd like to go to the apothecary first but if you want to go some where else that's fine. It looks like there is an ice cream parlor down the way we could meet up there in about and hour or two." Draco took off his backpack and fished out Hermione's beaded purse and he gave it to her when she agreed to meet him at the parlor after she finished doing the shopping she wanted. Draco went off on his own to the apothecary and got the ingredients he was missing for the potion. 

When he was done he met up with Hermione at the parlor like they agreed then they headed out to get dinner since it was getting dark and they had finally built an appetite back up from the walking they had done. At dinner Draco treated himself and Hermione to a bottle of wine. Soon they finished dinner and started walking back to the hotel Draco holding Hermione's hand again.

 

Hermione had nodded at Draco's plan, watching him split with her (really checking out his behind as he turned) before moving to explore herself. As always she found herself in the bookstore, deciding to scope out their selection on memory charm books, picking up another book to check out during their time there. She spent the majority of her time in there, but she also checked out the sweet shop and picked up a few things, along with a few of the other boutiques. The muggle born witch also picked up a few other things here and there before making her way to meet with the handsome blonde. 

Once they met up she let him show her a lovely spot that he had come across for dinner, in which she indulged along with him and tried the delicious house special elf made wine. Now while Hermione was smart, she had no way of knowing just how potent elf made wine was, she wasn't really much of a drinker overall. It was so sweet and delicious that she found she ended up drinking the majority of the bottle, not that he had complained. Full once again, the curly haired witch held his hand while they walked pouting softly as she did so. It took a moment, and her stumbling a bit really, before she rearranged his arm and wrapped it around her waist, her own doing the same as she pressed herself into his side as they headed back to the hotel. The duo chatted a bit along the way, finishing some of the light conversation from dinner about fun stories about school shenanigans before the seriousness of the war and idly continuing their game. 

"Oooh ooh! I have a stoory~ She brushed a bit of her hair from her face before giggling a bit as she recalled the story. "So during some of the Gryffindor parties the girls would end up all huddled together to play truth or dare. One time, and I don't know who did it to this day, but I got back to the common room after being in the library and had both Harry and Ron and I believe Seamus and Neville crowd around me begging me to change them back because I was brilliant. I had no clue what they were talking about at first...but then I noticed they all had sprouted very feminine curves. Apparently the girls had bewitched them when they tried to spy on the game...buy giving them boobs! It was great. I changed them back but Collin got some great pictures before I did. Our 'parties' didn't much racier than that, at least that I know about." She followed the blonde as he led them into the hotel, cuddling against his side as they waited for the lift before they climbed inside.

Draco smiled and he held Hermione's hip when she moved his hand and he laughed listening to her story about the boys getting breasts and begging her to change them back. "That's the most rediculus thing I've ever heard I'm sure it was completely surreal at the time." Draco hushed Hermione a little when they entered the hotel and took the lift up to their floor. Draco opened the door for Hermione and he followed her in double checking the spells. Draco took Hermione's hands in his hand he kissed her softly on the cheek. "I know we were planning on having sex after dinner but it might be a good idea to wait until your sober the wine had a pretty strong effect on you." Draco let go of Hermione's hands and he dropped his backpack down next to the wall before he kissed her one more time and took her hand leading her to her bed to sit down. "So do you want to call Potter and Weasely? Or keep playing our little game for a while?"

 

Hermione couldn't help but giggle as Draco shared her amusement about the dumb antics of Harry and Ron. She smiled as he kissed her on the cheek and moved to sit down, but she shook her head and tugged him back to stand. "Wait a sec..." Pulling her wand from her bag, Hermione quickly put the bed they had split earlier that day back together, before moving the table in the room over into the corner to give Draco an area to work on the potion later. Dropping her wand carelessly on top of her bag, the muggle born witch found herself smiling a coy smile before lightly pushing him back until he fell onto the bed. She followed this time, and hesitated a moment, clearly pondering whether or not she was going to crawl onto the bed next to him or keep going with her instincts or crawl on top of him. 

She kicked off her shoes idly before deciding, and situated herself on top of him, leaning over him slightly as she straddled him. "I want to keep playing our game. Fuck them, they can wait." Shifting so she was situated a bit more comfortably on his thighs, she found herself giggling a bit at the image he presented on the bed underneath her. "You know I think at some point I definitely want to be on top, it's a bit thrilling to have you at my mercy right now..." Yeah, she was definitely drunk. While she appreciated his desire to wait for her to not be drunk in order for them to actually have sex, because she was drunk she had a bit more courage to act on some of the impulses that ran through her. Like pushing him onto the bed and straddling him. She found herself almost laying on top of him, her hands holding her up on each side of his torso as she leaned over, her hair forming a bit of a curtain around them. 

"You want to know what I was wondering...?"

Draco watched Hermione a bit surprised and she rearranged the room back to almost how it had been before they arrived but putting the end table off in a corner. He laughed as she pushed him back onto the now only bed in the room and he left his legs to hang down off the side of the bed. He watched intrigued as she took her shoes off then climbed ontop of him straddling his hips then moving down to his thighs so she could lay over him and he smiled reaching up his hand brushing her hair back. "When ever you want to be on top that would be fun. It's been a while since I've been on the bottom anyway." Draco lifted himself up on his elbows and he kissed Hermione next to the bottom of her ear then he laid back down on the bed and he smiled up at her. "What are you wondering?"

 

She couldn't stop her eyes from fluttering shut at the gentle kiss that brushed against her earlobe; it derailed her momentarily. "You don't usually let your partners take charge? Or they never really want to...?" The brunette chewed her lip lightly, now a bit unsure if she should be this bold. Sure, he basically said that she could dominate whenever she wanted...but she also didn't want to do anything to drive him away. He had way more experience than her after all. His hand coming up and brushing her hair aside had her snapping from her thoughts, and snapping back to what she had been about to say before. Smiling again, although a bit more cautiously than before, Hermione leaned forward a bit and let her lips brush against his. "I'm wondering when you're going to stop teasing me and just kiss me already..." She was blushing at the forward remark, but she didn't regret saying it. "Or are you going to make me do all the work...?"

"They usualy don't want to take charge but there are some who have." Draco watched Hermione as she seemed to be reconsidering her decision to be a more dominate personality than she usualy was. Draco blushed lightly when Hermione leaned close to him her lips lightly brushing against his as she asked him when he was going to kiss her. "Well I'm having fun teasing you but if you insist I can do it now." Draco wrapped his arms firmly around Hermione and he kissed her lips deeply but gently. Keeping his arms wrapped around Hermione Draco rolled her onto her bak so that he was ontop of her for a minute he looked down at her and smiled and kissed her lips gently again before he let go of her and rolled back off of her and he untied his boots and kicked them off before he scooted further on to the bed so his legs weren't hanging off any more and he reached over and took Hermione's hand pulling her up next to him.

 

"Teasing's no fun...for me anyway..."The curly haired witch did not fight him as he wrapped his arms around her and proceeded to roll them over so he was on top. She barely even noticed since she was focused on him kissing her. It wasn't even a full on 'we're making out' and it was one of the better kisses she'd had. Blushing even further as he pulled back after giving her one last quick peck, she mentally gave his reputation a tally. So far, it was holding up. Watching him untie and kick off his boots, Hermione let him guide her up to lay next to him, cuddling against him and boldly throwing a leg over his before peeking up at him as if asking if that was ok. "Is cuddling something you frown upon? Or is this ok?"

 

Draco laughed a little when Hermione asked it cuddling was ok. "No absolutely not you can't cuddle." Draco pulled her closer and he smiled teasing her. "Of course it's fine Hermione." Draco refrained himself from calling her any sort of pet names until he was sure their close relationship was a certain thing he didn't want to have her offended by something like that. Draco closed his eyes and he ran his hand over the back of Hermione's head and he kept his arm wrapped around her.

 

Hermione thought she resisted the urge to pout, but failed. Sticking her tongue out at him, she settled against him comfortably, nuzzling her face against him as he stroked her hair gently. She was content for a moment, but because of the alcohol she had consumed along with the energy of the moment she wasn't tired enough to pass out yet. She was relatively motionless for a little bit, before her hand shifted and came to rest across his torso and a little sigh escaped her. Again, that was fine for a moment, but then she was bored of that. So her fingers began to idly stroke back and forth, her fingers trailing gently over his chest atop his shirt. "You smell good Draco..." The brunette picked her head up slightly and smiled, scooting up a bit more to rest her head more comfortably on his chest.

Draco kissed Hermione as she moved further up on his chest. "You smell good too hermione." Draco wrapped his arms around her and held her close to himself and he smiled. "Your so lovely Hermione." Draco noticed how restless Hermione was with simple cuddling and he reached over brushed her hair out of her face. Before he kissed her again more deeply than he had before trying to help her to burn off some of the energy she'd gotten from the wine to relive her restlessness.

 

Kissing him back eagerly, the curly haired witch continued to let her hand trail along his chest gently, tracing around his nipples a few times before her hand trailed a bit lower to his flat stomach. When he pulled back and spoke, she found herself blushing even more at his compliment. She had been about to reciprocate, when his mouth came to cover hers once again and she decided that talking was overrated. In a moment of alcohol induced boldness, she gently took his lower lip between her teeth and bit down lightly, before soothing it with her tongue as she moved to deepen their kiss more. He was a good kisser, and she was definitely enjoying learning so. Shifting slightly, her fingers moved a bit further south, toying with the edge of shirt without even truly realizing what she was doing. She was just living in the moment and going with the flow, her interest and attraction to him made obvious because of the alcohol she'd consumed.

Dracos hand moved to Hermione's shoulder as her hand moved around his chest and stumach as they made out he moaned very lightly when she caught his lip between her teeth. He reciprocated the movement capturing her upper lip for a moment before he turned his head to the side and he kissed her more his hand moving from her shoulder to burrow into her hair his senses excited by her traveling hand and the feeling of her so close to him.

 

The muggle born had been pleased to hear him moan softly, feeling accomplished to make him feel good. Yet when he reciprocated the action Hermione let out a soft groan herself at the feeling of someone else biting her lip; it was definitely erotic. As his hand trailed into her hair she left her hand slip under his shirt, caressing the warm bare skin of his stomach softly while they continued to kiss, getting more and more passionate as they continued. The longer they made out, the more alive she seemed to come under his touch. It took a little maneuvering on her part, but she was able to get her other hand around where she let it rest on the back of his neck, idly playing with the hair at the base of his head while their tongues began to tangle and fight for dominance.

Dracos stumach clenched for a second in excitement when Hermione slid her hand up under his shirt and started to touch the skin on his stumach. He moaned again and followed Hermione's lead allowing his own tounge to duel Hermione's. Draco groaned feeling his pants growing tight around his swelling cock as he was turned on by his intimate interactions with Hermione. He shifted around trying to get a bit of relief. He pulled away from Hermione's kissing and he stroked her cheek. "Hermione we need to slow down your drunk I don't want us to do something that your not going to like later when your sober." Draco ran his hand down Hermione's cheek again and he sighed. "I'm going to go shower then get started on that potion why don't you get a bit of sleep the alcohol is going to be in your system for a while sleeping will be good to get it out." Draco forced his way out of Hermione's grip to stand then head off to shower grabbing his backpack before going to the shower.

 

Hermione had been truly enjoying the moment, her hand trailing over his smooth skin as she curiously explored, moving back up towards his chest when he pulled away from her. Pouting again, her brown eyes locked on his until he pulled away completely and got up. "But I don't want to sleep...boo." Once she heard the shower start the muggle born witch flopped back, just laying there for a moment before getting up. Moving over to her bag, she decided she was going to change into her pajamas at the very least. Still pouting about him pulling away as she changed into her yoga shorts and a gryffindor t-shirt, she grabbed her laptop and decided to set up skype to call her dumb best friends back. Maybe Draco would come out of the bathroom half naked and give her something to freak them out with... Grabbing her mobile, she sent off a quick text, first inquiring if they had time to talk again, secondly telling them if so to wait for her to call from skype. It was so much easier to use her laptop than the phone.

Draco was in the shower a little longer than he normally would have been as he was taking care of the hardon he'd gotten from Hermione. When he finished though he pulled on a clean pair of boxers and a loose pair of white and grey pin stripped pajama pants he took care of the rest of his nightly routine before heading out to the bedroom his hair crumpled from drying it with the towl. When he came back he noticed Hermione had her computer out. "Doing more research?" Draco put his backpack down at the foot of the bed again before he walked over to Hermione and sat down next to her his hand moving to rub her back slowly. The boys took a while to respond but they sent a message back to her telling her she could call them now that they were ready.

 

Having gotten a message from the boys that they were ready for a call, Hermione hit the button to login to Skype and pushed the screen back, turning her attention from the computer to Draco as he emerged from the bathroom. Smiling coyly at him, she leaned her head against his shoulder as he came to sit back down next to her. "I'm using the computer to call them this time, easier." She didn't really want to, but after a moment she picked her head up from his shoulder and pulled her now mostly bare legs up to her chest. Once the software had loaded, she fiddled with the laptop for another moment before sitting back again while the call was connecting. The curly haired witch shifted and crawled off the bed, knowing she had a minute before the call connected but also knowing that Draco probably did not know that. Call it her slightly drunken revenge for stopping their snogging. "Here, let me get washed up for bed really quickly before it connects. You talk to them til I get out? That ok?" She leaned in, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before grabbing her toiletries and sauntering to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her with a smile on her face. She really only wanted to wash her face and brush her teeth, all of which took her a minute. Feeling daring, she also removed her bra and tossed it into the bag, already feeling much more comfortable and ready to eventually head to bed.

Draco watched Hermione a bit perplexed as she used her computer to start calling Ron and Harry in London. He looked over at her when she got up and he nodded slowly. "Alright don't take too long I'm sure they will get frustrated talking to me." The call connected just after hermione went into the bathroom and Draco jumped a bit seeing Ron and Harry's faces pressed disturbingly close together on the screen.   
"MALFOY! Where's Hermione!?" Draco scowled a bit at Rons snappiness.   
"Calm yourself Weasleby she's just in the lu freshening up."   
"You better not hurt her Malfoy or you'll regret it." Draco gritted his teeth doing his best not to lash out at Ron who'd pushed Harry away from their own computer. "Ron!"   
"Listen here Weasely, Hermione and I are getting on swimmingly. You may not be convinced but I am trying to make up for my mistakes starting with Hermione the last thing I want to do is to hurt her. If I did I would not be here talking to you. Or helping her try to restore her parents memories." Harry pushed Ron away from the screen. "Ron stop Hermione let him come with her she wouldn't have done that if she didn't think he wasn't being sincere about helping her." Harry looked back at the computer and he frowned a little. "Rons right though you hurt her you'll regret it."   
Draco sighed and he ran his hand back through his slowly drying hair. Let me put it this way. I'd rather be in Azkaban with my father than hurt Hermione. Now can we discuss something else or shall I just leave you to wait for Hermione?"   
Harry shifted blinking at what Draco said a bit stunned at his comment. "Oh yah... Ummm how has it been getting settled in down there?"   
"it's going alright we think we've already found her parents but we won't be able to check until two days from now so we're mostly doing research at the moment. And a bit of sight seeing when ever we need a break."

 

Hermione was done in the bathroom sooner than she emerged, but she was listening to the fierce protectiveness of her two best friends. As usual, Harry seemed to be the more understanding of the two. Deciding poor Draco had suffered enough she emerged from the bathroom and, in one final show of sass, climbed onto the bed and stepped over Malfoy before plopping down in the spot she had been in. "Hi guys!   
"Hey Mione...you two seem awfully chummy..."   
"Ron...Hermione's got good judgemental skills, if she's comfortable it's because she trusts Malfoy we trust her..."   
"You know technically, if you trust me, and I trust Malfoy, then by that logic you guys also trust Draco..." 

The muggle born witch turned her head to look at Draco and winked at him, loving the sputtering coming from the computer about how that wasn't how it worked. It was so fun to watch them both get flustered. Smiling brightly, she turned her attention back to the computer screen, resisting the urge, if only barely, to lean up against Draco. "Now boys, Draco is right. We think we found my parents. They're closed tomorrow though, so he and I are probably going to spend half the day at the beach and be tourists before hitting the books a bit more."   
"Well I'm jealous you're going to the beach now! Are you sure you don't need an extra hand over there?"   
"Malfoy! You better keep your hands off Hermione! OW! Harry what? She's going to be in a bikini! I don't want him touching her!"   
"Ronald! I'll wear what I want and Draco can touch me if he wants to!" Realizing what she had just said, she blushed fiercely, but since she still had the alcohol in her system she found that she just looked over at him again and gave him another smile and wink despite her red cheeks. 

'HERMIIIOONE! Just because we're done doesn't mean you should rebound with him!"   
"Hermione, Ginny and I will take care of that for you, don't be too made and accidentally destroy your laptop...just, don't hesitate to let us know if you need anything ok? You know we'll drop what we're doing and get over there as soon as possible.."   
"I know Harry, I appreciate it. Really, Draco is such a good help, but if either of us need anything you two will be the first to know!" Peering over at Draco again, she tilted her head to the side before turning her attention back to the computer. Harry was giving her a very distinct look, and she defiantly looked right back at him. She could see Ron's hands as he kept trying to grab the computer and keep talking; her guess was that Harry temporarily silenced him so he wouldn't say anything even more stupid, since she could see his mouth moving but hear nothing.

Draco put his hand on the small of Hermione's back out of the view of the camera so that the Ron and Harry wouldn't notice when she came back. He stuck around on the bed a little while longer blushing a bit when Hermione said he could touch her if he wanted to he knew it was mostly the alcohol talking but still he couldn't help but be a bit flattered by her defending him from Rons outraged attacks. He shifted on the bed and put his hand on her shoulder for a second before standing up. "I'm going to get started on that memory potion. Let you have some time to talk with Potter and Weasely." Draco picked up his backpack and he went over to the end table which Hermione had cleared off and moved to the corner of the room so it would have a spot to brew. Draco silently cast an extention charm on the little table giving himself more room to work and he busied himself with prepairing to brew the potion while Hermione talked to Ron and Harry. "you know you never really answered my question earlier Hermione. Is he treating you ok? He's not been a prat yet has he? If he does act like a prat or if he hurts you make sure you tell us ok Hermione?" 

 

Hermione glanced over at Draco once his hand came to land on her shoulder and she found herself pouting as he moved across the room once again. Her attention returned to the laptop where Harry had taken over. If she had to guess he refused to unsilence Ron so he went to either go get Ginny to do it, or he just stormed off. She couldn't be too sure. "Draco has been a complete and utter gentleman Harry. He has some great stories about shenanigans that the Slytherin house would get caught up with...I may have mentioned the time you boys got cursed to grow boobs..." Sticking her tongue out at her 'big brother' (which was hilarious because she was technically older than Harry and Ron, but that was just semantics) the curly haired witch pulled the laptop to rest on her lap as she leaned back against the head of the bed. 

"I do solemnly swear to tattle if Draco Malfoy turns into the big bad wolf though, seriously." She couldn't help it and found herself giggling at the mental picture that presented before moving to turn the camera slightly so Harry could get a glimpse of what he was doing. "Seriously Harry, could that specimen really do any more damage? Smart, funny, and interested in ME. Who knew? God where's Ginny? Is she still awake? I want girl talk...I doubt you want to hear about any boot knocking action over here..." Turning the computer away from what Draco was doing, she brushed a hand through her hair before moving to stifle a yawn. Of course now she was getting tired, but that was probably just the alcohol beginning to wear off once again. 

 

Harry smiled and he nodded when Hermione assured him that Draco was being very kind to her. "Good I'm glad to hear that." Harry flushed and he leaned in closer to the computer when Hermione said she might have mentioned the time when he had Ron had gotten cursed with boobs to Draco. "Hermione no you promised you wouldn't tell anyone that story. Please tell me you didn't tell Malfoy that." Harry sighed and he sat back against the couch looking at Hermione for a second before glancing over at the stairs then looked back to her glad that Ron hadn't been around to hear that she'd told Malfoy that particular story it would have pushed Ron over the edge and he would be angry that she let Malfoy have that story. "thanks for promising Hermione I swear if I have to I'll ride my broom all the way to Australia to help you." Over in the corner Draco winced at that statement and he looked back at Hermione blushing slightly when he saw that she'd adjusted the camera on her computer so it was pointed at him as she continued to talk putting an emphasis on his enamor for her. 

Harry turned bright red with Hermione's discription of her and Dracos current relationship. "Hermione...." He took a second to process and he leaned into the computer again. "Are you drunk Hermione?" Ginny walked up and she pushed Harry out of the way. "Harry let me talk to Hermione." Ron leaned over the back of the couch some how the three of them fitting into the frame of the camera. "Oh hermione are you having a nice time there? I know it's only been a day but I miss you already. So do the boys but they won't admit it. Have you had any luck finding your parents? How have things been going with Draco? I heard you say you wanted to have some girl talk I assume it's about him." Ginny completely took over the call talking excitedly to Hermione not wanting to give the boys a chance to break in.

 

"You told Viktor the story about how my teeth were spelled to grow out even further to make me look like a beaver...consider us even. In some of our letters he STILL brings it up." Her arms crossed over her chest and she glared at him. "So what if I am drunk Harry? Am I not allowed to drink either? Sometimes I think that you boys forget I'm capable of making my own decisions and taking care of myself. Despite me being drunk Draco is a perfect gentleman. I'm nervous about my parents and I did drink a little too much wine tonight but I'm fine!" She was getting more and more agitated as time passed. So caught up in her little rant she failed to see Ginny appear and take over the call. 

When she finally did notice, her anger almost immediately disappeared and she was smiling once again. "Ginny! Draco! Say hi to Ginny!" Once again Hermione turned the laptop towards Draco, waiting until he acknowledged the red head on the screen before turning the computer back to herself. "Things are going well. We think we have found my parents, but we need to wait another day until they have office hours again. We're doing some more research tonight and half the day tomorrow. We're going to the beach though! It'll be fun...Draco is also proving which rumors are true and which have been embellished..."

 

Draco was just finishing up with the last few ingredients when Hermione started to get angry at Harry and he glanced back seeing the all to familiar glower of an angry Hermione directed tward her computer he smiled a bit and waved to Ginny when Hermione told him to say hi to her. "Hello Ginny. Nice to see you again."Ginny smiled and she waved back to Draco. Giggling a bit at how attractive he was half naked. When Hermione turned the computer back Ginny gushed."Oh the beach sounds so lovely make sure you find some nice sea shells to bring back." She jumped on the opportunity to learn more about which rumors were true from school. "Come on Hermione tell me all the details is he really how people at school thought he was?" Ron pushed Ginny's shoulder."Ginny stop it. Stop being such a girl."Ginny whipped around on her brother. "No you stop it Ron if you don't want to listen then go away you and Harry both I'm having girl time with Hermione. If you don't like it then either go away or shut up."Ginny glowered at the both of them sending them away before turning back to Hermione grinning pleasantly. "Sorry Hermione those boys are such pains."

 

Hermione could guess exactly what made Ginny giggle the way she had when presented with half naked Draco. Even drunk, she knew. Waving bye as Ron and Harry were banished, she waited a moment before glancing over at Draco again. Knowing she probably wasn't going to be able to get him to leave, she did the next best thing: cast a silencing spell on the bed. Now she could freely talk and he wouldn't hear her, until he came to bed anyway. "Oh Gin, he's an amazing kisser. I don't really know anything else yet, but during our get to know each other question game I asked if the rumors were true and he offered to show me... While we were shopping today I bought some sexy new knickers though...can't hurt right? " Giggling a bit, the brunette glanced over at him again before turning her attention back to her friend. "So how are things back home? How many times have you needed to hex your brother so far?"

Draco ended up being so focused on the more complicated part of the potion he didn't even notice Hermione silence her conversation with Ginny. "I heard you tell Harry he's interested in you it must be quite a bit he seems to be really relaxed around you. Plus he offered to show you his skills I always heard that even though he was a player it was always hard to get him to actualy sleep with anyone."Ginny giggled too when Hermione said she'd bought new knickers just because of what Draco had offered. "Oh things are just fine here you know how Ron is I've probably hexed him at least a dozen times he's such a mess worrying about you. I'm sure things will pick up with their Auror training and he will forget to worry and things will calm down. Crookshanks misses you but he's been good he's just been sleeping on my bed."

 

"I will hopefully be home before he knows it. Just don't let either of those two boys give you too much trouble. You have a good handle on both as usual I'm sure." Hermione couldn't help but smile and nod her head to Ginny's comment. It was one of the main reasons she had asked, thinking that nothing really would come of it. He completely proved her wrong! Nodding to her red haired girlfriend, Hermione brought her hand up to stifle a yawn. "I'll keep you posted on how things develop. Hopefully if anything does come from this trip Ron and Harry will be accepting. I'm really tired though Gin, it's been forever since I got drunk and I just want to cuddle up now. Give Crookshanks a treat for me would you? I'll call again once we make contact with my parents."

Ginny smiled brightly. "Don't worry Hermione I'll keep them under control I won't let them go rushing off to Australia with out warning and I'll give Crookshanks your love for you. Let me get the boys back so they can say good bye for now." Ginny got up and she called into the kitchen where the boys were lurking. "Ron, Harry come say goodnight to Hermione.!" The boys came out of the kitchen and they settled back down infront of the computer. "Hey mione we'll talk to you again in the next couple of days right?" Ron did his best not to look concerned about Hermione being alone with Draco but not succeeding. Harry noticed Hermione starting to fade and he chimed in "good night Hermione good luck finding your parents let us know how things are going..."

Hermione smiled at her best friends, nodding accordingly. She would definitely keep them posted on how things were going. "Of course I will, don't worry about me! Everything will work out. I'll be home soon enough and you guys can fill me in on Auror training and everything I missed. Goodnight!" In a moment of laziness, the muggle born witch just shut the laptop to end the call, the computer putting itself to sleep as she did that. Dispelling the silencing spell, she stretched her arms over her head before looking longingly across the room. She really did not want to get up...and she didn't have to! She almost forgot she was a witch, must have been the alcohol. Grabbing her wand from the bed where she had left it, the brunette levitated her laptop over to the table with a satisfied smile. Turning her attention now to Draco, she rolled onto her stomach on the bed and watched him for a moment. "So do you always make potions half naked? Because if that's the case I may have another you can brew..." She couldn't help her giggle at her idea of terrible flirting. "Anything I can help with?

Draco laughed hearing Hermione flirting with him. "No I usualy don't but this one looked pretty easy." Draco gave the potion a few more stirs before he put a lid on the cauldron to leave it to steep for the next few days. "I think we're alright the potion just needs to steep for the next five days then it will almost be ready." Draco turned and he smiled at Hermione. "So what was that potion you were thinking of?" Draco crossed the room and he sat down on the bed looking down at Hermione. "Did you have a nice chat with Ginny and the others?"

 

"I didn't have one in mind, I was just being a bit obnoxious really and appreciating the view. I know Ginny did. I'm sure the boys didn't like seeing you topless but oh well.."Shaking her head, she rolled over so she was lying on her back looking up at him as he sat himself down on the bed, she shrugged. "It was a nice chat, except for Ron being well, Ron. Harry was mad I told you the boob story...but we're even for embarrassing stories now so he can't be too angry at me. Ginny is going to want all the sordid details of this trip when we get home; skype calls are not going to cut it with her. Poor Harry has his hands full with that one." Shifting again, she glanced over at the TV in the room before looking back up at him. "Since that's done, do you want to watch a movie before bed?"

Draco chuckled and he slid up onto bed and he scooted past Hermione so he could lay down resting his head on a pillow gently tugging on her hand for her to come lay with him. "That's alright." Draco nodded to Hermione's assumption that the boys had been unhappy to see Dracos bare chest. "Yah they were put off by it." Draco looked over at the tv when Hermione asked if he wanted to watch a movie before they went to sleep and he shrugged a little. "Sure why not I'll try to stay awake for this one." Draco smiled at Hermione yawning a little. 

 

Hermione smiled and shifted as he gestured for her to come lay with him. Scurrying up to lay on the bed properly, she pulled the blankets out and crawled in, holding them up for him to follow. She then leaned over to grab both the remote and her wand again. Levitating a water bottle from the room's mini fridge, she took a quick drink before offering it to him. "Since we're both probably going to fall asleep I won't put on anything super exciting or scary. Just something funny." Idly scrolling through the channels, she settled on one that looked promising before snuggling against him. She quickly sat up slightly, leaning up to give him a quick goodnight kiss. She wanted to make out again, but she was tired...they had time. Getting comfortable snuggled against him once again, her leg found it's way over one of his once more and her arm slung over his bare chest. She took a moment to mentally appreciate how smooth his skin, one of the last coherent thoughts she had. "Goodnight Draco..." It was a breathy mumble against his skin, almost an afterthought as she quickly passed out thanks to her wine consumption. 

It must have been a combination of the wine and his presence, because the next thing the muggle born knew it was the morning. She rubbed at an eye idly, noting that they had forgotten to close the curtains fully and that was what had woken her up. Somehow during the night as well the two of them had shifted and now it was Draco who had his leg tangled with hers. The fact that he was taller than her seemed to come in handy so he wasn't stuck with a face full of her hair while he slept. She had her back to him, her body almost completely flush against his while his arm was draped across her torso, his hand almost indecent. It was just under her breast. Hermione was unsure if he was awake yet, but she was content to lay there in his embrace for a bit longer. So she shifted slightly so that the sun was no longer directly in her face, yet not enough to wake him if he were still sleeping.


	4. Reunion Beach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Hermione finds her family but it's more than she bargained for.

Draco payed very little attention to the movie after Hermione got it started instead letting his fingers trace small circles across her back as she started to fall asleep. "Goodnight Hermione." Draco wished her a good night after she did the same for him and he let himself give her a gentle kiss before he drifted off into a comfortably dreamless sleep. When the morning came the sun hadn't quite hit his face yet but he could feel it's warmth on him waking slightly he nuzzled his face into Hermione's hair and he let his hand slide down her stumach he woke more smelling her and he smiled recalling where he was and who he was with. He shifted again moving so he wasn't burrowed into her hair anymore but able to look down at her face. "Good morning Hermione." Draco stayed wrapped around Hermione for a little bit longer before he finally gave into his body's morning urge to stretch. He straightened himself out and stretched out yawning a bit before he curled back up around Hermione's back comfortable just to lay with her. "Did you sleep well? Are you feeling alright you had a lot to drink last night."

 

Knowing that he was awake now let the curly haired witch stretch too. She sighed in pleasure as she heard and felt the cracking of a few of the vertebrae in her back before shifting slightly so she was partially on her back so she could look up at him now. "Just a small headache, nothing too bad. I'm a little surprised I'm not hung over though.... I slept very well though. How about you?"Hermione shifted her one hand, finding his where it was still draped across her stomach and linking their fingers. Now that she was sober, and conscious, the memories from last night were starting to come back to her. She could feel her cheeks heating as she recalled her blatant flirting and brazen behavior towards him. She chewed on her lower lip idly, thankful that he had had the gentlemanly sense to stop them last night. Although remembering what she did she definitely remembered liking what had happened.

"Some breakfast should help your headache if it doesn't I should have a bit of a hang over potion left in my bag that will definitely make it go away." Draco smiled and he gently squeezed Hermione's hand in his when she took it. "I slept wonderfully not a dream in sight." Draco wiggled his other arm until it was out from under Hermione and he pumped his fingers a few times to get blood flowing back into them before he put his arm down over her shoulder letting it rest gently on her chest just over her breasts. His fingers traced small flowers and he hummed a gentle tune that went to a song called Ashokan Farewell. After a minute or so he stopped and rolled a bit more moving himself so he was looking more directly into Hermione's eyes before he leaned in and kissed her lips softly slowly making the kiss deeper before he pulled away and smiled at her. "So are we going to just lay here all day? Or are we going to go to the beach?"

 

Hermione couldn't help but let out a contented sigh as he traced designs on her chest, half tempted to shift his hand so it was on bare skin because it was very soothing. Distracted by his humming and soft touches, she was taken by surprise when he kissed her. Eyes fluttering open when he pulled back, pouting up at him. "Just a minute... That one said good morning...but what if I want to have a great morning?" Letting her fingers skim across his bare arm, she pulled him back down for another kiss, trailing her fingers up his arm before looping her arm around his neck kissing him in the same manner, softly and deeply, before ending it with a few pecks. Her cheeks were red from her boldness, but it was worth it. "Nooow we can get up and go to the beach."

Draco smiled and he let Hermione pull him back down and he kissed her back his hand gently gripping her shoulder as they kissed again. When they finished he smiled down at her letting go of her hand before he kissed her cheek lightly one more time before standing up and taking his backpack into the bathroom with himself. He was quick to take care of what he needed before he pulled out his swim trunks and pulled them on he paused for a moment deciding wether or not he should wait until they got to the beach to show off to Hermione. In the end he decided against it and he fussed with his hair a bit letting it fall like it had the day he'd met her in Flourish and Blotts. When he finished he came out of the bathroom his backpack against his leg. "What do you think?" The trunks showed off his toned body nicely their stripes a nice navy blue and white a change from his usual green or black. His face was looking a bit rugged from not having shaved the past few days but he wasn't planning on keeping it that way he just wanted to give Hermione a chance to do what she needed he could shave in the bedroom.

 

While he had been getting dressed Hermione had been idly grabbing what she needed from her bag. She had two suits, and while she loved her red suit with the blue flowers she had been told her pink and black suit was awesome. Still a bit shy, she grabbed both to make her final decision in the spur of the moment. While she had her back turned and was bent over her suitcase he had emerged from the bathroom. Glancing over her shoulder at him, she couldn't help the way her eyes slowly raked over his figure taking him in. "Not your usual colors...not bad at all..." She stood up and smiled, grabbing her shorts and adding them to her clothing pile before heading towards him. Stopping in front of him, the curly haired witch, in a moment of boldness, stood on her tip toes to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. She didn't mind the scruff, she just wanted to further show her appreciation. 

Walking past him into the bathroom, she glanced back and paused in the doorway. "Definitely not bad at all..." Her red cheeks and nervous giggle gave away just how brazen she felt it was for her to blatantly ogle his behind, and she was quick to shut herself into the bathroom and lean against the door. What was she doing? Shaking her head, the muggle born witch made her way to the sink and began her morning regimen. Once her face was washed and her teeth were brushed she started the shower in order to rinse herself; there was no need to wash her hair since they were going to the beach. She could do it after. She was quick in the shower, and after a quick drying charm she glanced down at her two suits. Her lower lip found its way between her teeth as she pondered. She could just picture Ginny telling her to be a brave Gryffindor and just wear the pink and black suit...but she didn't want to come off and being too loose. She liked the way things were going with Draco, and she didn't want to jeopardize anything. Yet...they were in another country, and trying to have a bit of fun before they got serious and went to find her parents tomorrow. 

Making up her mind, Hermione tugged on the suit bottoms first before pulling on her dark jean shorts. Grabbing the pink and black bikini top, she pulled that on before moving to comb her fingers through her hair gently. She would charm it to bring it a bit more into submission before they left. About 10 minutes after she walked in, she opened the door and emerged from the bathroom, her pjs in her arms. Tossing them back into her bag carelessly, she turned around to glance over at him rather shyly while she slipped on a pair of black flip flops. "So....what do you think?"

Dracos cheeks flushed a light pink at Hermione's observation that he wasn't wearing his usual colors but she seemed to like it. He smiled down at her when she approached him and he put his free hand on her hip momentarily when she kissed his cheek. He chuckled and let go of her when she started into the bathroom he looked back at her when she commented on his appearance again and he winked at her enjoying her boldness glad to know it wasn't just the drink they had the night before which made her more bold in her flirting with him. Draco laughed a bit when she closed the bathroom door and he went to the bed and put his backpack down. 

Draco sifted through his bag for a minute before he pulled out a pair of worn blue jeans along with a grey tank-top Draco pulled the clothes on. Then he pulled out of his backpack the things he needed to do a quick shave, a mirror, straight razor, shaving cream, after shave, and a hand towel. Draco took the things over to the desk and he hung the mirror on the wall next to the window pushing back the curtains so he'd have good light. He took the shaving cream and spread it over the scruff on his face and neck he wiped the cream from his hands on the hand towel before he took up the razor and carefully started to shave himself taking his time so he didn't cut himself. Inevitably he nicked himself while shaving down his neck and on his jawline. Once he was finished shaving he wiped the remaining cream off his face and cast a quick healing spell over the razor cuts so they healed before he put the after shave on. He finished and cleaned up putting his things away in his backpack where they belonged. Draco settled back onto the bed for a minute before glancing at the bathroom he could hear Hermione in the shower he sighed looking at his left arm lightly touching it the spells were starting to wear off and he could see the darkmark showing through them. Draco sat up and he took his wand and cleared away the stale spells then he started recasting them. He was in the middle of a complicated concealment spell when Hermione came back out of the bathroom he finished the spell and then he looked over at Hermione pulling his still mostly exposed arm to his stumach. "You look good Hermione. Let me just finish recasting the spells on my arm then we can go ok?" Draco got up and he kissed Hermione's cheek before he moved away and turned his back to Hermione to finish casting the last of the spells twelve in all the last ones though were long and complicated but when he was finished it was like he'd never so much as scratched his arm. Draco breathed out a relaxed breath and he smiled at Hermione. "You do really look fantastic in that swimsuit Hermione." Draco tucked his wand back into his wallet and he sat back down on the bed and pulled on some socks and light grey tennis shoes for the walk over to the beach.

 

The brunette frowned a bit, not at him exactly but at what he was doing. She wanted to tell him that he didn't need to hide his scars, yet that would make her a hypocrite because she usually hid hers. Glancing over at the slowly healing word carved into her arm she shook her head lightly as if to dislodge the negative thoughts. Grabbing a t-shirt from her bag, Hermione slipped the pink and white shirt over her bikini top before grabbing her wand to cast a few quick spells to tame her hair while he was finishing up his concealing spells. While she waited for him to finish she sat down on the edge of the bed and found herself watching as the mark disappeared completely and his skin once again looked flawless. 

Blushing lightly at his compliment when his attention returned to her, Hermione smiled and stood once he had his shoes on. "Yes well, I had to try to compare to you. Don't want some tart thinking she can try to woo you away or anything..." As if realizing just how possessive she sounded when they were not even remotely close to dating she found herself frowning and chewing on her lip. Looking away, she instead grabbed a plastic bag she had packed and transfigured it into a more beach friendly tote bag. With another flick of her wrist two of the towels from the hotel were flying into the bag, having also been magically enlarged to be the size of typical beach towels. Using this as a distraction, she was hoping he would not comment on her remark. Once she was done with this, she pocketed her wand and grabbed the bag."Think we can stop on the way for breakfast and maybe some coffee?"

 

Draco laughed a bit at Hermione's comment about her blocking other girls from flirting with him. "Well now. I'm flattered Hermione. You should know though I only have eyes for you. No tart is going to change that." Draco watched Hermione as she started arranging a bag for the beach. Draco noticed how her comment had seemed to upset her and he frowned a little before she redirected their conversation to breakfast. "Oh yah that sounds good we can eat on the beach." Draco stood and took his wallet out making sure he had anything he needed in it and nodded folding it back up but pausing and pulling out his wand. "One more thing before I forget. I understand the sun here has a mind of its own best not to get a sun burn before we've even been here a full day." Draco waved his wand over himself and Hermione the spell he'd cast had a strange cooling effect on the skin before it vanished. "It will just keep us from getting a bad sunburn." Draco tucked his wand back into his wallet then his wallet into his back pocket. He held his hand out to Hermione. "Would you like me to carry the tote for you?"

 

Blushing lightly at his comment, she found herself smiling a bit wider as she noted that he didn't seem to mind the random bout of possessiveness. She was glad it didn't freak him out that she was not being as shy with expressing her interest in him like he was with her. Smiling slightly once again, Hermione nodded at the idea of eating on the beach. It would definitely be nice. She watched him curiously when he added that he had one more thing to do, and she found herself nodding in approval when she realized what spell he had cast. "I almost forgot, thank you Draco." She had just picked up the bag and hoisted it onto her shoulder and turned when she saw his hand. She blinked at his offer. "You don't have to, but if you would like to you may." She knew he probably wasn't just offering to be polite, and she did appreciate the gesture, but she could carry it herself if need be. She wasn't going to make him carry it, but if he took it from her she wouldn't mind. She had just hoped she made that clear. 

Draco smiled to Hermione and he took the bag from her before he lead the way out the door holding it open for her double checking the do not disturb sign was still out they didn't need some maid coming into the room and finding the potion brewing in the corner. Once Hermione was out of the room Draco closed the door behind himself and walked with her to the lift. Once they were outside the hotel Draco took Hermione's hand in his again like they had yesterday his fingers interweaving with hers and he started to lead her in the direction of the beach they were sure to pass a cafe on their way. 

 

Smiling and making sure to voice her thanks, Hermione followed behind him while he led the way. While he verified that the do not disturb was still there she double checked the wards. Walking with him to the elevator, she enjoyed the momentary quiet, knowing that once they hit the lobby it was going to get a lot noisier. She frowned slightly as the noise was a bit more than she expected, probably due to her headache, and followed Draco out of the hotel. Once outside, she winced at the brightness before he distracted her by taking her hand. The small gesture made her smile again, and she let him interweave their fingers and began to walk alongside of him. "Would you be able to grab my sunglasses from the bag? Do you have some too?" Hermione was a bit more used to the brightness now, but figured they couldn't hurt. She was also on the lookout for a little cafe for them to get some breakfast along with that morning jolt. She enjoyed tea as much as the next person, but espresso was a blessing sometimes. "Have you gone to the beach often? You knew that spell by heart, makes me wonder if you had.."

When Hermione asked for her sunglasses Draco took a second to process what she said. He'd been thinking about what had happened the night before and this morning. It seemed Hermione was more interested in him than she'd initially let on. "Oh sorry Hermione. Here." Draco shuffled around the beach bag and found Hermione's sun glasses and passed them to her. "Here you go. Yah I've got a pair tucked in my wallet somewhere." Draco refocused himself on what was going on with Hermione he didn't want to put her off by being distracted. He smiled a bit at her next question and nodded. "I used to go to the beach a lot when I was little with my mother she probably cast that spell on me a hundred times." Draco noticed a little cafe and he lead Hermione in so that they could get food. "What would you like Hermione?"

 

Squeezing his fingers gently in thanks, she reached out with her other hand to grab them and put them on. That was a lot better, but she still wanted to get some food and caffeine in her to get rid of her headache. Nodding at his explanation, she barely noticed that he had been distracted, chalking it up to not being completely awake. She would zone out sometimes early in the morning when she wasn't completely awake so she understood if others did as well. "I remember always asking to go, but only getting to go once in a while. Of course our sunscreen was applied manually." Teasingly sticking out her tongue at him, she resisted the urge to hop in mild glee when she spotted the cafe he was leading them into. Instead, she just smiled a bit brighter and perked up slightly as she looked around inside. "Nothing too big...probably just a scone and a hazlenut latte...oooh...but they have croissants too...well um...what are you thinking of getting?" She chewed on her lip idly as she took another moment to peruse the bakery display and look over the menu before nodding at her idea. Latte for sure, she wasn't sure which pastry she wanted though, since they did both look delicious. "What do you think, cinnamon scone or an almond croissant?"

Draco listened curiously to Hermione as she talked about going to the beach with her parents and he stuck his tounge back out at her and chuckled squeezing her hand lightly showing that he was having fun. Inside the cafe Draco looked over the menu and thought about what he was in the mood for. "I'm thinking a breakfast sandwich and vanilla coffee." Draco watched Hermione as she tried to decide what she wanted to eat. When she asked what he thought he considered for a moment before replying. "I seem to recall you were alway quite fond of cinnamon. But almonds and croissants are certainly sweet together." Once Hermione decided he moved to the counter and ordered for both of them making sure that it was packaged to be carried to the beach and then he payed for the food and waited. Soon their food and drinks were ready and he took them and rejoined Hermione letting her take her own drink he carefully placed their food in the beach bag so they could eat it at the beach.

 

Hermione continued to ponder even after Draco made up his mind. She had no idea why she was so indecisive today. Logically, she did love cinnamon, and she usually had cinnamon scones or cereal. She was on vacation, so the change of style seemed to make sense. Yet it was one of those strange unfamiliar things that for some reason she wasn't sure if she wanted to deviate away from her routine to try. Glancing over at Draco as he waited for her to make up her mind, she smiled and told him she wanted the almond croissant. Once the order was placed, she had been about to reach back out to take his hand again when the first drink was ready. Waiting for him to come back with both their drinks and food, she gladly took hers from him and took a sip. The brunette released a small sigh of content at the first taste, it was good! Once he had the food tucked away in her bag and a good hold on his drink, she moved to take his hand once more and it was her turn to lead them from the cafe and towards the beach. "Oh, I just thought of a fun question Draco...sugar quills or chocolate frogs? Which do you prefer?" 

 

Draco took a slow drink of his coffee as they started to leave the cafe and he smiled taking Hermione's hand back in his again. "Continuing our little game I see." Draco laughed and he smiled at Hermione when she asked her question. "I've always been more fond of sugar quills while I like chocolate frogs well enough I try to regulate how much chocolate I eat it's not exactly my favorite sweet. What about you Hermione which do you prefer?" Draco turned the question back around on Hermione and he smiled gently pulling her a little close to him as they crossed a busy street onto the board walk which ran along most of the length of the beach. At this early hour the beach was still mostly empty but it was starting to fill up slowly but surely. "Well what do you think? Left? Right? Straight ahead?" Draco inquired to Hermione about where she thought they should set up. To the left of them was a pier which streached out into the bay and had a few sail and fishing boats tied to it. To the right was a lifeguard tower and a line of shops on the other side of the street. Infront of them some one was already in the process of spreading out a large blanket over the sand.

 

Shrugging innocently, she smiled at his laughter and took another sip of her latte. "Might as well get to know you better since you're here. I'm a curious person. I also prefer sugar quills. I grew up very limited with the amount of sugar I could consume. Chocolate was usually fine, but sugary sweets were not really allowed. So I learned to really appreciate them.." Hermione glanced around at their options when Draco gave her a choice in direction, before gesturing straight ahead. It was fairly quiet so far, so they could get a good spot now before the crowd got there. "We can just move over a bit to the left and I think that's a perfect spot. Let's see...."She led them towards the spot she was referring to, stopping after another few moments and looked around, taking everything in before looking back at him. "How about here?"

"You've always been curious I don't mind continuing our game it is quite a bit of fun." Draco listened again as Hermione described her strange life with her muggle parents she seemed fond of the memories though and he was glad that he was there to help her to find her parents it meant so much to her. Draco smiled following Hermione as she pulled him with her onto the beach to a spot which she decided was good. Draco looked around for a moment before he nodded. "This looks great." Draco took the beach bag from his shoulder and frowned a bit noticing they'd only brought two towels and nothing to sit on. "Hmmm we seem to have forgotten a blanket..." Draco looked up at Hermione considering what they could do. They could alway transfigure something they'd brought into a blanket but doing magic in the open like this was risky to say the least. "What would you like to do?" Draco moved closer to Hermione giving her a minute to think about a solution.

Glancing around cautiously, the muggle born frowned, beginning to chew on her lip idly. While they could use magic, she really didn't want to deal with any repercussions from doing so. Her eyes fell on the lifeguard hut with a small smile, and she stepped a bit closer to be sure nobody would hear her whisper. "Well, we can buy some...or we can just pretend we left them in the lifeguard shack there and if there are none in there we can conjure something or transfigure something to work...there are no guards here yet that I see, so hopefully we won't need to confound anyone..." Brushing a bit of her hair from her face, she moved to momentarily to look at the two large beach towels she had packed. Without magic there wasn't much they could do unless they went to go buy a blanket or chairs...so it was this or that. In this moment, the mischievous part of her said to just transfigure something and put it back later, especially because they weren't going to be here for very long. Why buy beach supplies in a foreign country anyway? "What do you think we should do?"

Draco let their beach bag settle against his leg as he gently gave Hermione a hug as she whispered her idea in his ear and he gently nuzzled his nose into her neck and kissed her. "That sounds like a plan." He pulled back and smiled at Hermione. "Why don't you go on ahead and eat some of your breakfast I'll get our blanket from the lifeguard shack." Draco smiled and he turned and walked off to the shack and he went in and closed the door behind himself. Draco took a minute to look around the shack it was surprisingly tidy with a healthy supply of first aid kits. There wasn't anything he could transfigure from the room but he pulled out his wallet and fished out an unused handkerchief and he transfigured the green fabric into a larger more plush blanket vanishing his monogram in the process. When he finished he tucked his wallet away and folded the blanket returning to Hermione. "Good news our blanket is dry." Draco started to unfold the blanket so they could lay it out across the sand so they would have a good spot to lay down with out being completely covered in sand.

 

Settling against him with a smile as he hugged her, she had been about to return the embrace when he nuzzled her neck and pulled away. She couldn't help the small shiver that ran down her spine as he kissed her neck before moving to go and get 'their' blanket. Instead of eating her croissant like he had suggested she set her latte down along with his coffee gently before moving to take her shirt off. Now clad only in her bikini top and shorts, she moved to pull her hair back into a braid before moving to pick up both her latte and his coffee once more. By the time she finished he was returning with the blanket. Smiling at his return, she watched him spread it out before moving to settle down on it, liking the plush material he had chosen. "What did you use?" She was of course referring to what he had transfigured to make the blanket, just idly curious. Once he had settled down with her she grabbed the bag and pulled out the bag with their breakfast. She moved to hand him his sandwich and coffee before grabbing her own pastry and latte, shifting so that she was sitting beside him looking out at the water.

Draco smiled at Hermione after he got the blanket spread out he watched her for a second before he sat down on the blanket and he started pulling his own clothes off so he could enjoy the sun with her. Draco shook his shoes off and he folded his pants and shirt up. "Oh it was a handkerchief. Don't worry it was clean it's just been floating around in my wallet for quite some time." Draco settled onto the blanket comfortable stretching a leg out and bending the other up letting his arm rest over it taking his coffee back from Hermione. He drank his coffee and watched the ocean lapping gently against the shore. "This is a surprisingly peaceful beach to have a lifeguard hut. It must be because so many people come here." Draco shifted his coffee and dug a small hole in the sand and put his coffee into it so it wouldn't fall over while he worked on his sandwich. "How is your breakfast Hermione?"

 

"I wasn't worried, just curious."Nodding her head at his answer, she fell silent while she began to eat her own sandwich. Since she was sitting further in on the blanket, she instead just crossed her legs, holding her coffee between them so she had her hands free until she wanted a sip. "It's really good. Want to try a piece? How's yours?" She definitely was enjoying the morning. Her headache was diminishing thanks to the caffeine and the food, she had a gorgeous view and was with good company. It was going to be a nice day to relax and enjoy the beach before doing a bit more research for her parents memories. She couldn't help but look around as more people started to arrive, and she knew that it was good that they had gotten there when they did, especially since she spotted a lifeguard heading over to the hut just then. "Must be...we got here at just the right time it seems..

Dracos stumach growled at him and he continued eating his own sandwich quickly finishing it off he took his clothing and shoes and put them away inside of the beach bag making sure to move his wallet to the top of the pile so it was easily accessible if he needed his wand for any reason. He shook his head when Hermione offered to share some of her own breakfast. "No thanks Hermione I'll just have my coffee I'm not really craving anything too sweet at the moment. I'm glad your enjoying your breakfast though. Mine was very filling." Draco pulled his coffee from the sand and he drank from it scooting closer to Hermione moving the bag out from between the two of them. He smiled at her before he closed his eyes and he lay back on the blanket stretching out his coffee still in his hand his other arm sliding behind Hermione's back his fingers gently tracing lines along her back while she ate. 

The beach was quickly filling up as the morning went on and down the beach past the life guards hut. Hermione's parents were there with their young daughter Jean setting up a place to sit on the beach close to the waters edge. They were still out of sight of where Draco and Hermione had settled down for their morning of relaxation. "mommy can I play in the water now?" She was bouncing up and down excitedly looking like she was going to explode if her mother told her to wait. "Just wait for one more minute sweet heart." They finished setting up then Mrs. Granger turned her attention to her daughter she made sure her daughter had a pair of light blue floaties on her upper arms since she was still learning to swim. "Remember sweetie stay close Mommy is going to stay here and watch but daddy will be in the water so you can call him if you need anything." Mrs. Granger gave Jean a kiss on the check before letting her run the couple of feet down to the lightly lapping water where she ran around in the firm sand and splashed laughing happily before sitting down to look for shells and dig little moats in the sand to catch the water. Mr. Granger followed his daughter out into the ocean going just a little ways past her into deeper water to swim a bit while keeping an eye on her to make sure she wasn't wandering off.

 

Hermione smiled at his answer before finishing her croissant quickly. She couldn't help but shiver a bit as his fingers lightly played with the small of her back, teasing her gently. Once she finished her breakfast she took a long sip from her coffee before glancing around. Casting a wandless, nonverbal sticking charm so it wouldn't fall over and then a shielding charm so no sand would get in, she placed it on the edge of the blanket and moved to stand. The sun was shining brightly, and the beach was more heavily populated now, so she figured it was time for the shorts to come off. Unbuttoning them, the brunette bent over as she slid the dark denim down her legs and gathered them up, folding them before tossing them onto their bag. She sat herself back down on the blanket and shifted so she was looking over him. "Are you going to come with me into the water in a little bit? Meanwhile down the beach little Jean was splashing happily in the water, hunting down shell after shell between the waves. 

Draco smiled and he watched Hermione as she stood then took her shorts off. When she sat down he sat up and grinned. "Of course. Going swimming sounds great." Draco smiled streaching in the sun before he reached over to the bag and he arranged Hermione's shorts in it so they were covering his wallet. When he finished he put the bag back in a corner of the blanket and he reached over taking Hermione's hand gently. "I'm going to lay here for a bit longer let my food digest then I'll come down." Draco let Hermione's hand go and he leaned back on his elbows. "You can go on if you want to." He smiled at her one more time before he finished off his coffee and he set it back in the sand until he could get rid of it then he lay back down and closed his eyes soaking up some sun. A couple of girls giggled as they noticed him as they passed he ignored them pretending to be asleep. 

In the water Jean was blissfully unaware of the slow current which was gradually pulling her down the shore line. Taking a break from searching for sea shells she scooted herself into slightly deeper water to splash the current in the deeper water more swift and it pulled her down the shore line past the life guard hut. While she was still blissfully oblivious to it. She moved back to the shallow sand and started looking for sea shells having ended up past where Hermione and Draco were. 

 

Hermione couldn't help but giggle, noting how once she had stripped her shorts off she immediately had his attention. It was thrilling how he seemed to be so focused on her, it made her glad that she decided to wear what she considered her more risqué suit. Squeezing his hand before he let go, she nodded her head and smiled. She reached over and took another sip of her coffee before standing up and stretching and moving to head down to the water. She took her time, letting the water lap at her feet before she slowly began to wade in deeper. She took a breath and dove under a wave, swimming out a bit before moving back to the shore, noting that the current had brought her farther down than she had anticipated. Moving back over so she was in front of where she and Draco had their towel, she made sure she was in the right spot by looking around until she spotted the green blanket. She turned around and smiled as she saw a curly haired little girl gathering shells with a determined ferocity, knowing she used to do that as well. 

A quick tap on her shoulder brought her attention away from the little girl and onto a handsome tanned man who was dripping wet, with a wave board tucked under his arm."Hey there. I just had to come talk to you, you're gorgeous. I'm Ethan." He held out his free hand to shake hers, before looking out around. Blushing at the compliment and idly hugging her exposed midsection, Hermione smiled a bit at the obviously local man. His accent gave that away, along with the tan. She reached out to shake his hand lightly before hers came back to covering herself. "Hello Ethan, I'm Hermione." It was now obvious to him that she wasn't local, but he knew that already just by looking at her. So glancing around again, he looked for someone she might be here with."How do you like it down unda so far? You by yourself? You're way too pretty to be here alone." Blushing a bit darker, Hermione shook her head in answer, clearly flustered by the flattery. "It's lovely here, but I'm not here alone." She knew she should have specified that she was here with Draco, but she wasn't exactly sure what to call him, friend, boyfriend...they weren't really dating, just sort of showed mutual interest in each other. Yet she knew that's what this guy wanted to know. For the moment he seemed harmless, so despite it all she wasn't worried. She was capable of turning him away if need be. "Today's your first day at the beach. Ever skimboarded? Want to give it a go?"While she had said she wasn't here alone he noted that she didn't say she was here with a boyfriend, and she hadn't said no to his attention, so he was going to stick around until then. You never knew with tourists, and he wanted to make sure he had a shot instead of just assuming. 

Up on the blanket Draco did fall asleep for ten minutes a short nap. When he woke up he frowned before remembering he was on the beach and he sat up and looked out at the ocean searching for Hermione over the sea of people who'd flooded the beach and he smiled seeing her. He frowned ever so slightly noticing she was talking to another young man who seemed to be from the area. He watched the two of them for a moment noticing how the Australian was trying to teach Hermione to use the skimboard on the small waves. But even from where Draco was sitting he could tell Hermione wasn't completely comfortable around this local he saw how she was trying to cover her smooth body which he knew she'd always been shy about exposing. Draco stood up from the blanket and he walked down to the ocean towards where Hermione was. The Australian she'd been talking to was giving her a turn to try using the skimboard. Draco smiled and resolved to try and be pleasant to Hermione's new found acquaintance. Draco approached just as Hermione fell from the board. "Hermione. Are you alright?" He smiled relived when she wasn't hurt. "So who's this?" Draco looked over at Ethan doing his best to hold back a suspicious glower. 

Back up the beach Hermione's parents had noticed Jean missing and they were scouring their surrounding area to try and find her calling her name although it wasn't loud enough to hear over the crowds of people down where she actually was. And Jean still had yet to notice that she wasn't where she was supposed to be anymore.

Sitting on her butt in the sand, letting the water wash over her legs, Hermione had been just about to get up when she heard Draco's calling of her name. She saw a little girl look up as well and look around before going back to her shell collecting before her attention was taken completely by her blonde haired companion. "Hey Draco. This is Ethan. He was trying to teach me how to skimboard, but I think I may just be too uncoordinated to do so..." Moving to stand now, she idly brushed sand off her bum before turning and grabbing the skim board and moving to hand it back to the handsome brunette native. Ethan gave a half hearted nod at Draco before moving to watch as Hermione brushed sand off herself and bent over to pick up his board. "You're not uncoordinated, you're just not used to it. Here, let me help you..." Dropping the board onto the sand, Ethan reached for Hermione and helped her stand on the board, his own body pressed tightly against her back, hands roving over her skin, technically in neutral territory, but still somewhat uninvited as he helped her position herself in the best way while keeping the board steady.

Draco did his best to keep an open mind even after he'd noticed the guy Ethan stare at Hermione's behind when she picked up his board for him, only because hed watched her behind rather shamelessly himself and they still weren't in any official relationship. He nodded quite coldly back to Ethan after they were entroduced and he watched from the sand as he insisted Hermione wasn't bad she just needed a bit more practice. When Ethan was helping Hermione get resettled onto the board Dracos hands curled into fists especially seeing how close Ethan pressed their bodies letting his hands crawl over Hermione's skin warranting an uncomfortable look from her. When Hermione was ready to try skimming again Ethan's hand nonchalantly touched her butt as he gave her a push into the water. That touch snapped Dracos patience with the muggle and he stepped forward enough to be in his space. "Stop that. Can't you see your making Hermione uncomfortable. She doesn't need your hands all over her." Ethan raised an eyebrow at Draco seeing just how far he could push him and Draco punched him square in the jaw. "Don't touch Hermione." He reiterated incase Ethan had misunderstood. 

Down the beach Jean found a fantastic shell and she stood up and turned around to take it to her mother but she wasn't there. "Mommy?" Jean held onto the shell and she looked side to side trying to find Mrs. Granger. "Mommy!?" Jean started going up and down the sand looking for her mother. After a minute she rembered her mother had told her to call for her father if she needed something so she went back to the water and called. "Daddy? Mommy? Where are you?"

 

Stuttering out a half assed apology, Ethan grabbed his board and hurried away from the pair, his hand pressed against his mouth as he moved away. "DRACO! What the hell is your problem!" As soon as he had reared back and swung Hermione had hopped off the skimboard. Her fists clenched angrily at her side and she marched up to him, her finger jabbing him in the chest as she glared up at him. "He was teaching me how to skim board! I can handle things myself! I was going to give him the benefit of the doubt that his hand slipped, but considering your rash reaction I bet it was on purpose. I can take care of myself, you certainly don't need to go punching people in my defense. Really now that was such a childish thing to do, something I'd expect from Ron not you!" Huffing angrily, the brunette crossed her arms over her chest once she was done angrily jabbing her finger at his chest, taking deep breaths to try to calm herself a bit. Little Jean continued to look around, the longer she got no response from her mom or dad the more upset she began to get. Unfortunately nobody around her really seemed to notice the growing panic of the child. She began to sniffle as she looked around, hugging her shells tightly to herself as she began to cry quietly at first.

 

It took Draco a couple of moments to register that he'd made Hermione angry his own temper had made him forget about the ramifications of what he'd done. With Hermione in his face nearly yelling at him he remembered and caught her hand by her wrist and said. "I'm sorry Hermione the way he was touching you it made me loose my temper. I told you I'm still not perfect around muggles they make me loose my temper." Draco let go of Hermione's arm and he sighed looking away from Hermione. At that moment little Jean had found her way behind Draco and Hermione and she'd started to bawl standing in the sand calling for her parents. "Mommy! Daddy!" Draco turned around and he looked at the little girl who reminded him strikingly of what he thought little Hermione would have looked like at that age. "Hey are you ok?" Draco walked over and he knelt down so he could talk to the little girl. "Did you loose your parents? What's your name sweetie? My name is Draco." Jean watched Draco through her tearfilled eyes a little uneasy because he was a stranger. Finaly after she'd calmed down a bit she replied. "My name is Jean, I can't find my mommy or my daddy." She sniffled hugging the shells she'd gathered to her chest tears falling down her face again. "hey don't cry Jean. It's ok my friend and I will help you find your parents. You know my friend, one of her names is the same as yours. Her name is Hermione but her middle name is Jean too. You'll like her she's really nice." Draco looked back to Hermione and he waved for her to come over. "one of my names is Hermione too." Jean perked up seeing Hermione come over. "You look like my mommy."

 

Huffing angrily, Hermione forced herself to take a deep breath, followed by another one. She had been about to open her mouth to reply to his comment about it being because it was a Muggle, when the crying little girl captured her attention. Almost immediately Draco had turned and was trying to remedy the situation. It made most of her anger at the previous situation melt away at how caring he was, such a huge difference from how he used to be. She was focused on that until she got a good look at the child and she felt like she was slapped in the face. Her hands came up to cover her mouth, and her eyes widened as she really looked over the probably 4 year old girl, that Draco was calming down. It was looking at her baby pictures almost...it was so eerily similar the idea just jumped into her head without it really meaning to. What if her parents had another child? What if they were pregnant when she did that to them? What kind of monster was she? 

So wrapped up in her own inner monologue the brunette almost missed her cue to enter the situation. She placed a bright smile on her face, burying any of her inner turmoil until later when it could be addressed. Kneeling down in the sand, Hermione reached out her hand to let the little girl shake; knowing that if this girl was anything like herself as a child then she knew what this was. "I do? That'll make finding her easier since we know she looks like me. Hi there Jean, I'm Hermione. Nice to meet you. Draco's right, we're going to help you find your parents and you'll be together again before you know it. I see you were gathering seashells right? Well let's try to retrace your steps to find them..." The muggle born witch nodded at the idea, before holding out her hand for Jean to take. "Would you like me to help you hold some of your shells?"

Jean looked up at Hermione and smiled a little before reaching over and carefully grasping Hermione's hand trying not to drop any of the shells she'd collected. Jean nodded and pouted a bit when Hermione pointed out that she'd been gathering shells. "I was digging in the water. I don't know how I got here." She looked at Hermione's hand when Hermione offered to help her carry her shells. "Ok here." Jean shifted quite a few shells from her arms into Hermione's waiting hand afterwards she took Hermione's free hand and she looked up and down the beach trying to figure out how she'd ended up here when she'd just been sitting in the water playing. 

Draco distanced himself from Hermione a little when she came over to Jean and he let her take over for the most part. "You were just sitting in the shallow water?" Draco looked back at the water and he frowned as he stood up. "It doesn't make sense for you to get lost like that.... Unless there is a strong current?" Draco looked at Hermione questioning her. He hadn't had a chance to go in the water and feel the pulling current. "Do you remember if you were near the pier? Or were you on the other side of the life guard hut?" Draco pointed to the pier then the hut making sure that Jean knew what he was talking about when he asked her where she'd been sitting. 

Jean clutched a large round shell in her tiny hand and she looked at the two places Draco asked about then she suddenly got excited remembering they were on the other side of the life guard hut. "We were over there!" Jean let go of Hermione's hand and she started sprinting across the sand in the direction of the life guard hut. She tripped over some ones shoes and she fell down the shells in her arms going flying through the air the large shell she'd been holding going the highest and furthest of the lot. Jean cried out and reached her hand out for the shell as she hit the sand and it flew back to her hand from where it had hit some ones blanket a couple yards away. Jean layed there in the sand for a second perplexed that her shell had come back but then she smiled and held the shell close with both hands. "Thank you for not leaving shell I still have to show you to mommy she will love you like I do." Draco chased after Jean when she ran away. "Jean! Come back." Draco stopped for just a second when he noticed her accidental magic. Shaking himself he went over to her. "Jean don't run off like that you might get even more lost you have to let me and Hermione help you."

 

Hermione took the shells carefully from the curly haired little girl before taking her now free hand with her other hand. She had been leading her back that way with Draco on the girl's other side when she all of a sudden let go of her hand and bolted down towards the life guard hut. She had been about to cry out like Draco had when she spotted the little girl trip and fall, her shells flying. Then the one shell flew back right into the little girls hand. She frowned now, and reached out, idly taking hold of Draco's hand as he led the way over to the child. "I think our lives just got a little easier and a little more difficult at the same time..." 

She didn't elaborate of course, instead moved to pick up little Jean so she was now standing up. She idly began to brush sand off of her before smiling again. "There we go. Now let's walk and find your parents ok? We're almost at the life guard hut. Were they behind it or -" "JEAN HERMIONE GRANGER!" A furious looking woman was storming over to them, her eyes locked on her toddler. Although the older woman looked furious, when she got close enough to see that her daughter was alright she immediately dropped to her knees and hugged her closely. "We were so worried about you! I told you not to wander off and you did not listen to me young lady!" 

"Actually, ma'am, she claims she was sitting in the shallow water hunting for shells. The current is quite strong, I don't think she even realized it was pulling her further down the beach..." Hermione wasn't trying to be sassy, she was just stating a fact about it. It was surreal right now for her to be talking to her mother with absolutely no recognition at all. Finding out that she indeed had a younger sister who's childhood she missed out on, it was tough. She bravely buried her feelings on the matter once again, before smiling at her mother and Jean, her hand blindly reaching out for Draco's for something to ground her.

Jean shifted letting Hermione dust the sand off of her then she spotted her mother coming over. "Mommy!" Jean pulled back a little holding onto Hermione's hand when her mother was initially mad at her but when she hugged her Jean let go of Hermione's hand and hugged back. "I'm sorry mommy. I was just looking for shells i didn't walk away. Look I found this one. I was going to show you but you were gone." Jean held the shell out to her mother to look at. Jean sniffled a few more tears falling out of her eyes as she snuggled up against her mother. Jean calmed down and she let go of her mother and smiled. "Oh mommy guess what. Her name is Hermione Jean." Jean didn't give her mother any time to guess before she was standing up and pointing to Hermione. 

While Draco watched the exchange between Jean and her mother he didn't miss seeing Hermione's hand grasping at the air for something to hold. Draco slid closer to her his and curling around hers to comfort her. Seeing the three of them together it was blatantly obvious that Hermione was related to the two others. Hermione's mother stood up and she smiled taking her daughters hand and holding her close. "Thank you so much for finding my daughter." She looked at Hermione blinking with a flash of what seemed to be recognition but it wasn't what they were hoping for. It was a recognition like looking at an old yet familiar picture which had been flipped around. "Hermione? That's my daughters middle name. Such a lovely name. I really wanted to have it be her first name but my husband insisted on Jean." 

 

Hermione smiled at her mother and nodded. "It is a lovely name. My mother is very fond of it too, I'll be sure to mention that someone else adores it too...it was also no trouble at all. When Draco and I saw her crying we couldn't just leave her be....we had to help." Glancing over at Draco, she squeezed his hand before turning once again to address little Jean. She held out her other hand and let the girl have her shells back. "Oh here, I almost forgot I was holding these for you Jean. Didn't you want to show your dad some of them too?" She didn't know why she was punishing herself, but she really wanted to see her father too, make sure he was ok as well. 

 

Hermione's mother smiled and watched her daughter take the shells back. "Thank you for watching them." She said beaming up at Hermione she turned back around to her mother. "Where is daddy? I want to show him all the shells I found." "your father went down to the other side of the beach looking for you we will have to go find him." Heather looked up at Draco and Hermione. "Would you two mind terribly coming with us my husband will want to thank you personally for helping our daughter." Draco looked over at Hermione and he could see in her eyes that she wanted to see her father even through the pain she was feeling at seeing the damage that had been done by her spell. "No of course we wouldn't mind at all." Hermione's mother took her daughters hand and started walking down the beach ahead of Draco and Hermione. Draco paused Hermione for just a moment and he rubbed his hand across her bare back comforting her as much as he could at the moment before he continued walking after Mrs. Granger his fingers tangling back up with Hermione's as they walked.

 

Hermione froze as Draco stopped her from following initially, before nodding her head in thanks at him for the gesture. Squeezing his hand once he took hold of hers again, she focused on her mother and now little sister as they walked down the beach, dodging around people who had settled until she saw a very familiar figure up ahead. She bit her lip, stifling her initial urge to shout out 'daddy' as she spotted him moving down the beach towards them. "Heather, I see you found Jean." The man dropped down to his knees to pull his daughter into a tight hug once he was close enough, glancing up at his wife with a relieved smile. 

 

"Thomas, I actually found her with these two young people they found her almost all the way down by the pier. Apparently there is a strong shore current in this area. They were helping Jean find her way back." Jean held out her shells after her father finished hugging her. "Look daddy I found shells." Thomas smiled and he picked up a couple of the shells from jeans arms and he nodded before putting them back. "These are very nice shells Jean, keep a hold of them alright then we can pick your favorite and bring it home." Thomas stood up and he looked at Draco them Hermione and he was taken aback by how much she looked like his wife. "Oh." He paused for a second before he explained himself. "I'm sorry you look just like my wife did when she was in college in England. What's your name? Both of your names?" He looked back to Draco again something at the back of his mind registering Draco as familiar although he couldn't quite place it. Draco smiled at Thomas but stayed quite deciding to let Hermione handle the introductions since he wasn't sure how she wanted to have her parents know her until the time when they possibly found the cure for oblivited memories.

 

Hermione took a moment to truly study her father, then her mother, before composing herself. She could do this. Smiling at them all, she had been about to say something when her father's comment about looking like her mother had in college threw her off. Uh oh..."Oh um, I'm terribly sorry. This is Draco Malfoy and I'm Hermione Gra-Malfoy! Hermione Malfoy. Not used to the new name yet. Haha..." She gave a weak chuckle and glanced back at Draco, begging him to play along. "Oh how sweet you two are newlyweds! You look awfully young, I would have never guessed it. If you're happy though right? Is this your honeymoon?" Heather Granger shifted her attention momentarily to her daughter who was being awfully quiet, but it looked as if little Jean was taking her father's words to heart about picking a shell she liked best to take home.

Jean had settled down into the sand between the two couples her shells sprawled out infront of her and she seemed to be sorting them into some groups only she recognized. She was less interested in their grown up talk now that it wasn't about her any more. Draco had to hold back the flush that would have turned his face bright red at Hermione's comment as she decided to take his last name a light flush came over his cheeks and he smiled looking over at his friend and he nodded answering Mrs. Granger. "Yes she's wanted to come to Australia for quite a few years and it's nice to get away from the chill of London." Draco gently rubbed Hermione's hand with his thumb and he looked back to her parents. "I don't belive we got your names." After Hermione introduced herself and Draco Thomas seemed to be thinking for quite some time before he finaly looked at Draco with some recognition although he seemed a bit befuddled. "I recall to have met you Draco Malfoy was it? Quite some time ago in a book store." Dracos eyes landed on Mr. Granger and he watched him as he seemed to grasp at straws trying to remember the exact circumstance under which they had met. "Oh? Really? What do you remember?" Draco squeezed Hermione's hand knowing this was good for them. "I don't recall much I do remember however your father was quite rude." Draco sighed that at least Hermione's father remembered his fathers temperment. "I apologize for my father he always did have a short temper." Draco paused for a second before he continued to speak avoiding Hermione's eye as he wasnt sure she'd approve of him manipulating her parents like this. "It seems you may be suffering from a form of memory loss if you can't remember anything from that period of time. I would like to let you know I am skilled in hypnotherapy. I have helped people recover memories like the ones that seem to be missing. I'd be more than willing to take some time and do a consult for you to see what we have to work with. It would be my pleasure."

 

As conversation progressed Hermione was both amazed and a little dismayed with this revelation. She had apparently not been as thorough as she thought she had been with their obliviation, and despite it being a good thing her sense of accomplishment from the feat of magic she had done had dimmed a little. The brunette squeezed his hand in return, telling him to continue. She would have never thought about anything like this, and it was a brilliant, if not a little deceptive, but brilliant nonetheless. This was why having Ron or Harry with her would not have worked out. The Slytherin cunning was just what was needed in this situation. It was then that Heather Granger stepped in and interrupted. Lightly smacking her husband on the arm, she shook her head a bit. It was like him to get off on a bit of a tangent after all. "Thomas, don't be rude. Forgive my husband, I'm Heather Granger and this is my husband, Thomas. You've met our little Jean. I'm not trying to be rude, but hypnotherapy?" 

Hermione took this moment to jump in, she knew just how skeptical of things her parents could be. "It sounds crazy right? I thought so too at first when I found out what sort of therapy Draco did, but it really does provide results. I've seen many different people come from his sessions better off than before. It isn't painful in the slightest. It also can't hurt right? We are from England, and you say he looks familiar. How long have you been in Australia?" "We moved here shortly after we both graduated years ago...it was always a dream of mine to live here." Heather was still not completely convinced, although now that she thought about it her husband might be on to something here. How could he have met Draco and his father if they lived in Australia? It made no sense, but she was starting to want to find out how this could be so.

Draco waved his hand as if dismissing Mrs. Grangers concern that Thomas may have offended Draco with his comment. "It's alright Mrs. Granger I take no offense if anything would break through a lost memory it would be my fathers distain for anyone whom he didn't consider worthy of his respect. I don't hold his school of thought though, since I've grown and found my own way." Draco smiled looking at Hermione his other hand reaching over and clasping the back of the hand he already held his fingers laying gently over her's. When Hermione started talking he listened to her surpringly convincing praise as she assure her mother she'd seen Draco work 'magic' on lost memories and he nodded slowly before adding to her praise. "Of course it's not a guarantee every one is different and I can't help every one who comes to me."

 

"Well...I guess it couldn't hurt... but you're on your honeymoon. You shouldn't be worrying about us, it would be such an imposition..." Heather looked over at her husband, wondering what his take on all of this was. Thomas was nodding his head in agreement with his wife at her statement. He did want to know why the lad looked familiar...but he didn't want to ruin anyone's honeymoon to do so. Hell, if he had worked on his honeymoon he knew he would have been a dead man! "That's quite alright. I know how passionate Draco is about helping however he can with his gifts...it's one of his best qualities. If he is offering far be it from me to keep him from doing what he loves. It's all so very fascinating to me, if you're interested in a consult it is really no trouble, truly. I could even watch your daughter during the consult if you'd like." Glancing over at her faux husband, she gave him a look that said it was up to him to seal the deal now. She couldn't have planned this any better herself, which considering she had never even thought to try this route, made sense to her. She would definitely be singing his praises to the boys later, they would have to deal with it.

"You don't have to make a decision right away we will be here for quite some time. You can call my wife's mobile when you've made a decision and she can give you directions to our hotel or she can take your address and we can come to you. I unfortunately misplaced my mobile on our way here." Draco gave one of his more charming smiles to the two before he looked down at Jean and laughed a bit when she stood up and held up a pink shell to Hermione. "Look it's pink like your swim suit." "Your daughter also seems to have taken a liking to Hermione I'm sure she wouldn't mind playing with her for a couple of hours. And Hermione will of course take good care of her." Heather looked at her husband and she could see his curiosity and she nodded a little. "We will need some time to discuss it further with eachother but we will call you with our decision. Let me get my own mobile then I can get your number." She looked at Hermione and smiled noticing how her daughter seemed excited to be around her. "Our bag is just a little bit further up the beach I'll be back in a moment." Heather turned and she walked off up the beach and down to where they had set their bag down and she fished her mobile out of a pocket of the bag before coming back to get Hermione's number for her phone.

 

Hermione nodded her head, before glancing down at Jean and smiling. It was a little concerning though, since she was almost positive that the shell was not pink before. If Jean had used a bit of accidental magic again they would have to work quickly to avoid problems later. "Would you look at that, it is. It's a very pretty shell Jean, you found a good one." Glancing over at her father, Hermione smiled as she noticed him watching her interact with Jean closely. He looked a bit confused, although she couldn't be sure why since he wasn't saying anything. That was typical for her father though, sadly she had no idea what could be going through his mind at the moment. She was distracted again by her mother returning with her phone and she happily gave her mobile number to her. "Mine is over in our bag, so I'll double check for it as soon as we get back to our spot. Don't worry about bothering us at all, we're not really doing much other than relaxing out here." Once again little Jean reminded everyone of her presence."Mommy, Daddy, I'm hungry! I think I want to take this pink shell home, but can I take two? This white one is so prettiful too!"

Draco smiled watching Jean frowning as well when he saw the shell which had obviously been altered by magic. If her magic use got much more obvious her parents would have hell to deal with when the magical law enforcement came to deal with her. They were going to have to intervene and teach her to control the impulse magic that young witches and wizards got when they were finaly old enough to control magic. After Hermione had given her mother her mobile number Draco put his hand one Hermione's shoulder when Jean told her parents she was hungry. "Come on darling let's leave the grangers to enjoy the rest of their afternoon." Draco smiled over looking at Heather and Thomas. "It was very nice to meet you both I hope to see you again soon." Draco held his hand out to shake both of their hands before he turned and started back down the beach pausing a little waiting for Hermione to follow him back down to their own blanket.

 

Waving goodbye to her family after shaking their hands as well and giving little Jean a hug, Hermione turned and walked alongside with Draco once he paused to wait for her. She took a deep breath, letting it out with a long sigh. She remained silent as they walked back to their towel, mulling over everything that just happened. She had never begun to think that her parents would have another child...let alone name her Jean Hermione. That would look weird if she ever got them their memories back. She had apparently done a pretty darn good job erasing herself from existing in their minds. She should have added that they didn't want children...she felt bad for poor little Jean. If the memories took hold her parents might want to go home and she would be uprooted from everything she knew. The brunette witch did not think it through too well in the moment... Her arms came up and she wrapped them around her waist as she dwelled on what just happened, not even realizing they had gotten back to their blanket, it was instinctive to sit down once they had reached it.


	5. Day Dreams Coming True

Draco waited until they got back to the blanket giving Hermione time to think about the things that had happened when they sat down he looked at her and could see she was struggling with it. "Hermione?" Draco frowned and he reached over and touched her shoulder gently. "Hermione I know this is a lot to take in do you want to talk about it to try and wrap your head around it all?" Draco slid himself close to Hermione his hand moving to her other shoulder around behind her back gently pulling her into a soft hug to comfort her.

At the first touch of his hand on her shoulder she reflexively flinched, snapping from her thoughts almost violently. Her head came up and her brown eyes locked on his as her mouth opened momentarily before shutting again. This happened a few times as she struggled to find words. As his other hand shifted and he moved to pull her into a hug she didn't flinch again, or stop him. Instead she gratefully sank into the embrace, burying her face into his chest as she tried to come to terms with things. Should she cry? She wanted to. She was never usually one to be overly emotional, but given the situation she felt it was alright if she were. "I don't know... I just... I don't... " The beach didn't really seem like the right place to have this conversation either, she was resisting the urge to apparate them back to the hotel room in front of all the muggles. "Can we leave? Please?" Her voice was whisper soft at this point.

Draco held Hermione close for a minute before letting her go and he nodded. "Yes we can go. Let me pack our things up and we can leave." Draco moved away from Hermione and he cleaned up their space passing Hermione her shoes and taking his own out before taking the blanket and folding it and he tucked it away in the bag before he took her hand and walked with her away from the beach. Draco paused at the boardwalk and he could see Hermione still fighting with everything that was going on. "Come on let's get across the street into that ally and ill apparate us to the room." Draco dropped his tennis shoes on the ground and he slipped into them not worrying about the sand or tying them he waited for Hermione to get her flip flops on before they crossed the street and he lead her into the shaded ally and he pulled her close to him and held tightly to her as he apparated them into the room so that they were standing at the foot of the bed in their room at which point he let go of Hermione slowly so she didn't fall and he gently helped her sit on the foot of the bed.

"Thank you." Even the side along apparition didn't bother her, and it usually made her stomach a bit sick. It seemed like all she needed was to be safely back in the hotel room for the tears to begin to fall. Having slipped on her shoes mechanically at the beach, she kicked them off and pulled her feet up onto the bed, uncaring about how she was getting sand on the bed from her person. Pulling her knees to her chest, she cradled them tightly as she took deep breaths, attempting to calm herself down. "It never even occurred to me...erasing myself... would have another .... I didn't think...stupid of me...." Her words were muffled by her legs, and separated between deep breaths, but she wasn't hysterical, at least not yet, which was good.

Draco was at a loss watching Hermione breaking down trying to hold herself together with threads. He kicked his own shoes off and climbed onto the bed next to her and he pulled her into his arms his hand rubbing her back trying to comfort her. "Hermione don't be hard on yourself there was no way you could have known about what would happen after you obliviated your parents. Not even you could have foreseen every outcome." If things got too much worse with Hermione he didn't think he'd be able to stop her downward spiral he'd have to reach out to her friends for help he dreaded the idea of letting them know about her breakdown but he didn't want to risk her health either and having them be able to talk to her they would hopefully be able to drag her back out into the light.

She continued to take deep breaths, trying to staunch her crying and look at things rationally. It shouldn't be a big deal. So she has a little sister, it wasn't a bad thing. Her sister is also a witch, it was good she came looking for them! Yet she felt like she missed out, and she felt a little abandoned. She knew it wasn't the case, but if she had to explain how she felt that was it. "It shouldn't even be a big deal! I wasn't expecting... I did it to myself really..." She was trying to justify it, burrowing her head into his chest again as he rubbed her back. "I'm sorry Draco...

Draco continued to rub Hermione's back even after she'd started to calm down. "It's ok Hermione I know that this is upsetting to you. Things will work out Hermione I promise things will work out. We just need to take our time if we rush headlong into it we won't acomplish anything meaningful." Draco hugged Hermione softly before stroking her hair lightly. "Tell me what you want me to do now Hermione. Do you need me to do anything for you?"

Pulling back slightly so she could look up at him, the brunette nodded her head in agreement with what he was saying. Taking a deep breath, she held it for a moment before letting it out with one final great sigh. "I'm sorry about that...I think I'm alright now. I didn't mean to just break down like that..." Shifting slightly, she brought up one of her hands to wipe at her face before leaning up to give him a peck on the lips. "You're so good to me...and..." She trailed off from what she had been originally going to say when a thought hit her. She had told her parents that she was Draco's WIFE! What had she been thinking? Cheeks darkening rapidly as she blushed at her thoughts, Hermione buried her face back against his chest. "Does this change things? You aren't too mad at me, are you?" She was of course referring to their stance of interested in each other and sort of going with the flow. Now that she'd forced him into the role of her husband in dealing with her parents things might end up a little strained. She wanted to be sure things would be ok.

Draco loosened his arms around Hermione and he smiled gently at her. "It's ok Hermione I'm sure that was overwhelming you needed to let it out I'm sure there wasn't any other way." He watched as her face flushed deep red and it took him a minute to figure out exactly what she was talking about before he blushes lightly himself as he realized that she'd remembered her announcement that she was married to him on the beach he watched her hide her face in his chest and he rubbed her back gently. "No it really doesn't change things too much. I was worried you would be too angry to allow me to continue helping you after I lost my temper on the beach but I think with everything that's happened we are past that I can't be angry at you for telling them that. It would have been more suspicious for you to tell them your a granger." Draco rubbed Hermione's back again before he laid down on the bed gently pulling her with him. "Besides we convinced your parents I know hypnotism and that I've actually got a practice in England. I think we've got quite a bit more of a problem when it comes to that than our quote unquote marriage. I don't know almost anything about hypnotism. It's likely they will have questions I certainly can't explain legilimency to them. I'll seem like more of a lunatic than I already do."

Smiling bashfully, she nodded her head before letting him maneuver her to lie down with him. Knowing that it wasn't terribly awkward was relieving. "That's not too worrisome, at least right now. First my parents are going to try to research you, so soon I will need to make a fake webpage for your practice. Or hack someone else's and change the names. I don't think it'll be too much of a problem...we can always research it so we can fake it." Propping herself up slightly, Hermione leaned down and gave him another kiss, this one deeper than the peck, but still fairly chaste and short. "I really can't thank you enough...you're more than even for everything from school you know. I really appreciate this Draco."

Draco let Hermione kiss him and he only lightly returned the kiss deciding to hold back on the affection he'd been showing her before not wanting to cause a problem with her for their relationship it was important to him that they have a good relationship. He smiled at her praise to him for making up for the things that had happened in school. "If I couldn't do my absolute best to help you out with this then I don't deserve your forgiveness or your affection. It's one of the most important ventures of your life if not the most important." Draco gave Hermione a gentle squeeze around her back and he kissed her very lightly on her forehead. "What should we do now?"

When he didn't really kiss her back with the same level of enthusiasm it gave her pause. Was she being too affectionate? It was hard to tell. At his response to her praise she found herself smiling again despite her worries. With an attitude like that she was sure she was just misreading things. Shrugging her shoulders lightly, the brunette let out a sigh before shifting and snuggling against his side. "Now we either go back to doing research or we continue to make this a day of sightseeing and tourist things by doing something else that isn't the beach. I'm sorry again I ruined it..." Hermione bit her lip lightly, before looking up at him. His hand was warm on the bare skin of her back that her bikini left open to his touch. "Oh....we got sand on the bed, bleh. Good thing we know magic..." She couldn't help but giggle a bit at the thought. Magic was definitely useful.

Draco thought about what they should do and he shrugged a little bit. "Why don't we continue to lay here for a little while then perhaps we should set up that website you were talking about just to be safe we don't know when they will try to research me. Then we can maybe go on a walk around town or go where ever you would like." Draco smiled and he laughed as Hermione pointed out that they had dragged sand into the bed. "Yes it's alright we can clean it up before we go to sleep it will be simple." Draco kept his arms around Hermione his hand gently rubbing her bare back.

Snuggling a bit closer, the muggle born witch let out another deep breath, relaxing even further as he rubbed her back. The longer he stroked, the more tempted she was to see if she could entice him for a massage. She didn't say it out loud yet, but she was debating it. "Sounds good to me...you're comfy." Tilting her head up, Hermione smiled at him before snuggling back against him. "Should probably take another quick shower before we do anything later to rinse off sand too..."

Draco kissed Hermione lightly on her head when she scooted closer to him and he chuckled as she described him as comfortable. "Well I'm glad you enjoy laying on my chest I like having you lay there." Draco smiled charmingly at Hermione when she looked up at him before she cuddled back up against him and he closed his eyes enjoying having her lay against him his hand slowed rubbing her back and switched to drawing on her with his fingers.

Hermione was silent for a moment, not because she was falling asleep, but because she was trying to figure out just what he was drawing on her skin. Giving up, she began to drum her fingers on his side rhythmically. "So you don't mind if I use you as my new pillow? Even if my hair isn't braided? I mean it's not as bad as it was...but some mornings it takes on a mind of it's own..." The witch shifted took a deep breath, blowing the air out over his one nipple that was right by her face. "So...can I ask another question?" Why not keep their game going while they cuddled? She didn't see the harm.

"No I don't mind I like being able to touch your back and have you close to me." Draco fingers didn't stop drawing on her back switching between a flower random circles and a set of hearts. "Your hair really isn't so bad anymore." Draco jumped a little when Hermione blew her warm air over his nipple it tickled. Draco tilted his head and he looked down at her when she asked if she could ask him another question. "Yes? Does this mean you want to keep playing our little game or is this a different type of question?"

Hermione giggled softly as he jumped, knowing exactly what it was that made him twitch. So, before she asked her question, she did it again, this time not bothering to take a deep breath first. She simply blew. "The game we've been playing. Nothing super serious, I promise." Done with her playful tickling of him, she shifted some and picked her head up slightly. Scooting up until she was resting with her head on the pillow facing him, she smiled once she was settled. She did note that her shifting made his hand on her back shift to the base of her spine, but she didn't mind. "This is more of a future question. Have you ever given any thought to how big of a family you want one day?" She wanted to be eye level while they played, at least for now.

Draco smiled and he shifted again when she blew on his nipple again before she finaly scooted up the bed so she was laying on the pillow at the top. Draco rolled further onto his side and he put his hand on her hip as he listened to her question. "I haven't thought about it too much but I suppose I'd want two children preferably both boys but I wouldn't mind any girls. I always wanted to have a sibling but my parents were satisfied with just me." Draco reached up and he gently stroked Hermione's face. "What about you Hermione what do you want for a family?"

The muggle born couldn't help but nod her head at his answer, it was similar to hers. Her brow furrowed and her eyes crossed as she watched his hand approach her face, before turning her attention back around his hand to his face with a smile. "As an only child I did want a sibling...I think two, maaaybe three kids would be alright. As long as everything's stable of course though. No accidental babies for me. Although I want to have one of each, if three kids I'm not sure which would be worse, two girls or two boys." 

She stuck her tongue out at him as she laughed and thought about it. "I can picture it now. Heaven forbid there is a baby brother with two older sisters. They would probably terrorize him. Then again, two older brothers and a baby sister? They would be so overprotective it would be amusing for parents, not so amusing for them." Reaching up, she grasped his one hand with her own and threaded their fingers, her eyes trailing over to their now joined hands momentarily before she spoke again. "Your turn to ask. Anything you want."

Draco smiled and he listened to Hermione as she talked about what she wanted to have for a family of her own she was on the same track as himself and he nodded along as she talked. "Yes I'd only like children after I'm married." Draco watched Hermione as she took his hand in hers and she interweaved their fingers. Finaly she reminded him it was his turn to ask a question and he had to take a while to consider his next question. "Alright a mild curiosity of mine. Have you ever considered cutting your hair short? Not just a little shorter but like where you can't get it into a pony tail?"

At his question she giggled a bit, before nodding her head. She had definitely thought about cutting her hair, many times over. Squeezing his hand lightly, she smiled. "I have definitely thought about it. I actually had short hair as a kid. My hair...when short... well...let's just say it ends up looking more like a puff ball than like hair. I basically have an afro...it isn't very pleasant." She wrinkled her nose a bit, before moving to grab a section of her hair and survey it. "Granted, the last time my hair was short was when I was a child...it probably wouldn't be as bad now, but I'm still a wee bit skeptical." She too now took a moment to ponder what she wanted to ask for her next question. Tapping her fingers against his on their joined hands, she pondered momentarily before one came to her. "Alright Draco, here's one. If you could have any animagus form...what do you think it would be?"

Draco smiled and he tried to picture Hermione with short hair and he chuckled at the idea of her hair being short and poofy instead of long and poofy. At her next question Draco shrugged a little. "Well if I could choose I think I'd like to be a dog or an owl. But I don't know what it would actualy be. You know your patronus can give you a glimpse of what your animagus form might be. Do you know your patronus Hermione?" Draco shifted his arm out from under Hermione's side and he moved it so his arm was resting on the top of the pillow his fingers playing around with her still slightly damp hair.

"I know you can't choose...but it would be nice if you could. My patronus is a Eurasian otter. Do you know what your patronus is Draco?" When he moved to pull his arm out she sat up slightly, giving him ample space to pull his arm out from under her, apologizing softly as she did so. Settling back down, she looked back over at him and blinked. Reaching out, she grabbed one of her hairs from where it was resting on his chest before tossing it aside with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, my hair tends to end up everywhere...

Draco closed his eyes and he pictured Hermione casting a shimmering otter from her wand and he smiled then frowned slightly when she asked if he knew his patronus. "No I've tried multiple times to learn the patronus spell but I don't have a memory happy enough to fuel it past a weak sheild form. I've got plenty of cheerful memories but nothing that's really made me happy enough to make a full bodied patronus." Draco laughed a bit when Hermione pulled some of her hair from his chest and he stroked her hair gently. "I feel like I might get some though if I stay here with you for long enough. You have a way of making me feel happy." Draco let go of Hermione's hand and he hugged her gently but firmly holding her close for a minute before he let her go his hand moving back to take hers. "Ok my next question then." Draco looked over Hermione's head for a minute before he looked down at her and grinned. "If you were able to travel to any time period in the past to view a historical event in person what would you want to see?"

She frowned as he frowned, not having realized it would be so thoughtless of her to ask. She had been about to reach out again, this time in a comforting gesture when he tugged her even closer to him and into a hug. She once again rested her head on his chest as she gave him a half hug, being unable to really get her arm under him and fully around him in a true one. Pulling her head back to look at him while still in his embrace. "You're still young, you have time to make a truly happy memory that will summon your patronus. I have faith in you, even if your name does technically mean Bad Faith." 

Giggling a bit at her comment, she moved to thread one of her legs through his while they laid there facing each other. There had originally been respectable distance between them, now there was barely any, and she didn't mind the proximity. "Hm, that's a good one. I would either want to see something like the first Olympic games or maybe head back to the Renaissance period and see some of the great classics that emerged in their original finery... I have always been fascinated by most history, but there were so many empires and overthrowings that I don't know if I'd want to experience any of those in person.." The brunette trailed off, biting her lip idly as she continued to think about it before shaking her head. "What about you? What would you go see?"

Draco scowled a little as Hermione reminded him of the shady connotations his last name held of one looked at the origins of a name. "Thanks for reminding me." He sighed and stroked Hermione's back slowly smiling again as she told him what she'd want to see. "I should have figured you'd want to see original copies of literature." Draco laughed and he tickled Hermione very slightly on her side smiling at her. "Seeing the original Olympics sounds very interesting." When Hermione turned the question around on him he had to consider it for a minute. "I've always been rather interested in the great world wars of the muggles especially the second one. There are many aspects of the muggle wars I'd be interested in seeing but the D-day invasion would have to be my first choice though purely because of the utter mass of the invasion and the unlikely events that caused it to succeed. I know it would be truly terrible but to be there and know the outcome I feel it would be moving." Draco ran his fingers over Hermione's bare back. "For some thing more peaceful I think the first game of quiddich would be great fun."

"Oh stop it I was kidding, relax." Hermione couldn't help but giggle a bit at his disdain for the meaning of his last name. Squirming away when he moved to tickle her she swatted at his hand gently before wiggling her own fingers on her other hand, as if saying she would tickle him back if he kept it up. Settling back down once he seemed to seriously ponder for his answer, the brunette took the moment to study his features as he pondered, since she had the opportunity. His answer though threw her for a loop, and she was sure the shock showed on her face. "Wow, I can understand it a bit from a tactical point, but I definitely was not expecting that. Can't argue with the choice though." As he picked his lighter moment to go back to see while his fingers were petting her on her back she almost missed him say the first quidditch game. When it registered she couldn't help her quick laugh and a small shake of her head. "You boys and your quidditch ugh..." She couldn't help but stick her tongue out; Quidditch wasn't the worst thing in the world...but she just didn't get the appeal.

Draco laughed and he smiled at Hermione when she stuck her tounge out at his second choice. "Hermione I don't think you understand quiddich it's not just a sport it's a life style." Draco laughed again and he grinned down at Hermione obviously teasing her. "It's not so much a life style for me any more but it certainly used to be. Like you said I was the fuel that kept potter in the game he was the same for me. I feel like although we were always rivals. When we played quiddich we were especially close. Not friends per se but close enough." Draco continued letting his fingers trail up and down Hermione's smooth back as he was relaxed having her with him on the bed. "If you were to learn anything about the future what would you want it to be?"

The longer he kept trailing his fingers along her spine the more relaxed she got as well. "I guess it makes sense...strangely enough anyway. Harry has said something similar to me about you two being the closest you would ever be during Quidditch season. Actually...I think he held more respect for you on the field than off it." At his next question her brows furrowed and she fell silent as she thought. That was another tough one. "Well, on one hand I feel like I would kind of like to know if I'm going to end up happy, or well. That seems a tad selfish though. I would also like to know if any of the efforts on rights for creatures change for the better...What would you want to learn from the future?"

Draco listened to Hermione's answer and he nodded slowly. "I remember that you were always advocating for creatures. I'm sure with your continued advocation things will improve." Draco let his hand rest gently across Hermione's back as he considered his own answer. "If I could learn anything I suppose I'd want to know if I am able to restore my family's name successfully." Draco looked down at Hermione not having another answer for the question which had been turned around on himself.

Reaching out slowly, Hermione let her hand cup Draco's cheek gently once he'd given his answer. Smiling at him, she lightly stroked the skin under her hand. "I'm sure you will Draco." After a moment she let her hand slip down, a slow almost mocking caress before she pulled her hand back all together. "Let's see...where would you choose to live if you could live anywhere in the world?"

Draco caught Hermione's hand in his when she touched his cheek and he smiled at her and he let her hand slip away from his before he put his hand back on her shoulder. "Thank you Hermione." Draco watched Hermione and he shrugged a little at her question. "I do like England but if I had to choose some where else to live I would like to live in Italy. On the coast." He sighed and streached a bit. "I think we should get up we should deal with the lie we made up for your parents. I would hate to have it go to waste because we weren't diligent."

Nodding her head at his answer, and then his decree of getting back to work, she too sat up. Hermione stretched her arms over her head as well and with a quick glance down at herself, decided that the first order of business was at least to stop walking around in her bikini. "Yeah, makes sense. Are my shorts still in our beach bag?" As she asked she was already crawling down the bed to where the bag was, rummaging through it to pull out her shorts. Standing momentarily and slipping them on, she moved to grab her computer once again before deciding to start with a website for Draco's practice. "I'm not too worried about a website...I just need to find one and copy it then tweak the information. Shouldn't take too long. Are you going to read up a bit more while I do that?" And it was as if a switch was flicked in the brunette, she was all work once again.

Draco remained laying on his back while Hermione looked for her shorts his eyes inadvertently being drawn to her butt when she leaned over the edge of the bed to get her shorts from the beach bag. When she asked if he was going to do more research while she worked on the computer he shook his head a little. "I'm going to read over the legilimancy books some I need to get some practice in fairly soon." Draco got up and he took his wallet out of the beach bag and he took the blanket they had used on the beach and he transfigured it back into a white handkerchief with his initials in green monogrammed onto the fabric. He shook it swearing as a small pile of sand fell out onto the floor. He shook it again before he folded it and tucked it away again into his wallet and then Draco used his wand to do a bit of tidying. Draco swirled the sand from the floor and the bed into the air before he vanished it putting his wand away. "There mostly sand less." Draco smiled at Hermione before he tucked his wand away in his wallet and he retrieved one of the books he wanted to read bringing it back to the bed so he could sit and read while Hermione worked on the computer.

Hermione nodded at his answer, before pulling her computer up onto the bed and settling herself back down on what she had claimed as her half of the bed. She was quick to get to work once the computer got through the start up processes and connected to the internet. It was a skill she hadn't practiced, but when she and Harry had bounced around and been on the horcrux hunt, even when Ron had been there too, when the nightmares became too great she would always find something to read. Reading up on web design was soothing in a weird way, anything mundane like this was. She finally had a chance to put what she read into application. 

She would occasionally glance over at Draco while he read, smiling softly before going back to doing what she was doing on the laptop. It was only once she finished his fake website that she finally took a break and pushed the computer aside, not even realizing that an hour had passed. "Voila, Draco you have a lovely practice in London and an office just outside of London."

Draco was quite while he read and Hermione worked on her computer setting up the fake webpage for her parents to find. Draco was relived that Hermione had seemed to have gotten over the shock of finding her parents and little sister all at once in such an unexpected way but he knew it would be difficult for her to face them again very soon she still needed more time to process everything and figure out their next step. Draco was almost finished with one of the books he'd gotten from Snape's houses and he folded it up rolling onto his stomach from being on his back holding the book over his head when Hermione announced that she'd finished. Draco smiled and he inched closer to the computer and he nodded looking at the page. "It looks great Hermione." Draco put his book down on the bed next to the computer and he fussed a little figuring out how to manuver around the webpage. It wasn't his first time trying to work a laptop one of his muggle friends had one and had started to teach Draco about the Internet and computers to the muggles bemusement that he'd never been around technology. He skimmed over what Hermione had typed up and he smiled. "It's really great. Do you think we should have a picture of me though? Maybe up here in the corner." Draco pointed to a spot on the webpage which seemed to be reserved for that particular reason.

Grinning at his inquiry about a photo, the muggle born with shifted slightly and moved to stand up. "Why Mister Malfoy, or should I say Dr. Malfoy? That is exactly what I had planned. Come on, up, we're going to take a photo for the site." Once he stood up, she glanced at him, studying him momentarily before smiling and holding up a finger as she popped into the bathroom. Emerging with a robe, she laid it down on the bed and transfigured it into a white lab coat. She held it out to him, and continued to smile. "Now all you need is a nice shirt to wear underneath it momentarily. I'll only take a photo of the top half of your body, so no need to worry about some pants." 

Hermione was glad he had realized that a picture would be good. She had been toying with asking him to do it and he saved her the trouble. While he worked on changing a top to fit what was needed she worked on pulling up the webcam on her computer so she could take a picture of him to save.

Draco got up and he watched Hermione a bit puzzled as she went off to the bathroom on her own then came back out holding one of the hotels robes Draco watched her as she transfigured it into a white labcoat. Draco took the coat and he raised his eyebrows at Hermione. "Are you sure this is a good idea? Wouldn't one of my suits be better? I've got a nice grey one rather than my usual black." Draco placed the lab coat down on the bed before he started shuffling though his backpack looking for the light grey-blue shirt and darker grey tie that went with his suit. He pulled them out of his bag and they were still crisp like they'd just been retrieved from the cleaners. He stood up and put them down on top of the lab coat just to see how they looked together on the bed. He supposed they didn't look too bad together as far as colors went the real test would be to see how entirely ridiculous he looked in that coat. "Alright we can try it but let's also do one with my suit as well just to compare them." Draco pulled on his suit shirt then flipped his collar up and made quick work of his tie. He folded the collar on his shirt down then pulled on the lab coat and he looked down at himself shaking his head that he still had his swim wear on. "What do you think Hermione?"

Hermione blinked at his suggestion about the suit. She had forgotten who she was with momentarily. Of course he had a suit or two handy. He was Draco Malfoy. Smiling, she nodded and watched him get the top half of his suit on before giggling a bit at the picture he presented. He did look a bit ridiculous with his swim trunks on the bottom half of him and his top half all done up. "Lose the coat a sec? I want to see how it looks without. I think you're right that the suit by itself will be better..."It wasn't that it looked bad, she just thought he would look even more suave and professional with the suit jacket instead of the lab coat. 

Draco took off the lab coat before returning to his backpack to fish out his suit jacketthen he pulled it on over his shirt and he stood up again to show Hermione the difference. The suit complimented his storm grey eyes and gave him a slightly better color than the white against his pale skin. "Better?" Draco smiled at Hermione as he straightened his tie a bit more over his shirt buttons. 

"Oh much better. You're right, this is the look. Are you going to leave your hair a bit tousled or did you want to style it for your web page?" She could definitely appreciate a well dressed man, even if he was only half dressed. Reaching out, she idly brushed a bit of sand that had made its way onto his shirt sleeve before sitting back. His hair wasn't that bad, but it wasn't as professional as it could look. 

While he was fixing his hair, Hermione sat back down on the edge of the bed, fiddling with the color scheme of the website in order to better match with his coloring. The idea to use grey for the background to match had hit her, and she would use a different color for the background of the photo. She let herself finalize the details of the color scheme before waiting for him to emerge with his hair done.

When Hermione agreed his suit looked better Draco couldn't help but grin a bit and he nodded a bit to her question about his hair. "I'll clean it up a bit. Hmmm and change out of my swim shorts." Draco took his wallet and a clean pair of grey boxer shorts into the bathroom. He changed out of his swim trunks into his boxer shorts then he delt with his hair he combed so it was more tame and he used a temporary spell on it to make it look shorter than it actually was to give the illusion of time passing since his photo was taken. 

When Draco returned he smiled at Hermione and laughed a bit. Now rather than having stripped trunks on his boxers were basically the same color as his suit jacket. He tucked his folded trunks into his pack and put his wallet on the bedside table. "Alright what now?"

Smiling at him once he emerged from the bathroom, now in matching boxers, Hermione motioned for him to sit down in the chair she had pulled over by the wall. "Just sit there and smile for the camera. I'll do the rest." Once he was seated, she fussed for a moment, positioning him how she wanted before coming back over and holding the laptop up at the right level. Levitating it to stay in the perfect spot, she tapped away at the keys and snapped a few pictures before nodding at him and moving to sit back down on the edge of the bed to edit them. That took a few minutes, and when she was done she beamed and turned the computer around to show him the site complete with his professional photo. "Better now?"

Draco did what Hermione wanted and he sat down in the chair she'd set out and did what she wanted as she posed him on the chair and he sat still while she prepared to take the photo when she was finally ready he smiled and when she finished he got up taking his suit off and folded it back up and tucked it away in his bag pulling out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and he pulled on his pants leaving his shirt on top of his pack before he sat down next to Hermione and he looked at the picture she chose for his website. "It looks good. So do you want to take a break now? Or do you want to keep working?"

Glancing over at him once he had suggested a break, Hermione shut the computer gently before putting it aside. She was getting a bit hungry, it was past lunch time after all. She had realized what time it was when she first finished the website and was going to suggest they take a break after she got the picture, but he beat her to it. "You hungry by chance?"Smiling at him, she too decided it was time to get dressed. Keeping her shorts on, she stood and put her laptop down on the table before going over to her bag. Bending over, she rummaged around for a moment before pulling out a white peasant top and pulling it on over her bikini. Turning back around, she plopped back down on the bed next to him and idly began to run her fingers through her hair to fluff it and get out any remaining sand.

Draco streached his arms out in front of himself and nodded. "A bit." He looked over at Hermione when she got up his eyes drifting down to her behind again when she bent over to rummage through her suitcase he got up from the bed to retrieve his own shirt when she turned around pulling hers on. "Planning on going back to the beach at some point?" Draco referring to the fact Hermione hadn't taken any of her bikini off. "I wouldn't mind going back to the beach later tonight when it's less crowded since we really didn't get to spend too much time there today." Draco pulled on the light grey t-shirt he'd gotten out of his backpack and he turned around and walked up close to Hermione his knees pressed lightly against hers and he smiled down at her while she combed her hair with her fingers.

The muggleborn witch smiled and nodded at his suggestion, having been thinking the same thing herself. "You read my mind. Are you practicing your occulemency on me now?"Having been a bit focused on combing her hair slightly she had no idea how close he was to her until she looked up at him. Face flushing a bit as she realized exactly what part of him was now in her face, she peered up at him with her smile still in place. Leaving her hair be, she reached out and took hold of one of his hands, threading their fingers together while she idly continued combing her fingers through with her other hand. "Want to go exploring again and then find another place to eat?"

Draco squeezed Hermione's hand gently when she took his and he smiled at her "no silly you still have your swim suit on." Draco looked down at the bright pink and black fabric which showed through her white top. Draco smiled again when she asked if he wanted to go exploring the city again before finding some where to eat. "Alright that sounds good." Draco leaned in and he kissed Hermione gently on the lips and then he let go of her hand and moved away to put on his tenis shoes again after cleaning the sand out of them. "And if your up for it. Tonight I could finaly show you those skills we discussed yesterday." Draco flirted shamelessly with Hermione winking at her from over his shoulder as he pulled on his shoes and laced them.

Hermione laughed lightly and glanced down at her top, noting the swimsuit showing through before shrugging. She had honestly been a bit lazy, which was why she had kept the suit on. Moving to stand as well, she slipped her sandals on before flushing as he offered to show off his skills. Before she could really regret what she was thinking, she couldn't help but give a shy, yet saucy smile. "I'm not the one who's going to need to be up for it... She couldn't keep the light blush off her cheeks at her comment, but she didn't take back her words, or give him any sort of negative answer. While technically she didn't give him a positive answer either, she didn't say no, which in her mind was basically a yes. Not letting herself dwell on it, the brunette instead chose to pop into the bathroom quickly to make sure her hair wasn't all over the place. Returning to the room, she grabbed her purse from the beach bag they had used and pulled out her wand, doing a quick spell to vanish any remaining sand from her person before putting it away and turning towards the door, silently asking if he were ready before heading out. 

Draco grinned and he watched Hermione go into the bathroom before he cleaned himself of sand and he broke the spell on his hair so that it fell back to its more untamed state. When she came back he'd tucked his wand back in his wallet and his wallet in his pocket he nodded and followed her out checking the sign on the door as always to make sure it remained on the do not disturb side. Then he followed her out onto the street and he let her lead the way but not before he took her hand in his so they wouldn't get separated.

Having led the way silently out of the hotel, Hermione was distracted until his hand slipped onto hers. Smiling over at him, she squeezed his hand gently before leading them down the street away from the hotel. She didn't have a specific destination in mind, simply picking one way and beginning to move. She was silent for a few minutes, simply taking in the scenery as they walked before she turned to say something to her handsome companion. As she did though, she felt herself accidentally walk into another person on the street. Immediately turning, she apologized and shifted so she was a bit closer to Draco as they walked. "Whoops, still a bit clumsy.." The brunette gave a small smile before squeezing his hand gently. "So, anything special I should know about for later? If you're going to be up to it that is...She once again playfully stuck her tongue out at him, peeking up at him as they walked along the city. 

Draco smiled and he laughed a bit after she apologized then scooted closer to himself. "Somethings never change." Draco looked down at her and he watched her for a minute before returning his attention to the street they were talking down taking her question in before he responded. "I don't think that there's really anything you should know. Is there anything you want to know?" Draco reached over looking back to Hermione and he gently stroked her cheek and he smiled gently at her before he leaned in and lightly kissed her cheek.

Blinking a bit as she pondered his question, Hermione was distracted momentarily by loud commotion behind them. Pausing walking and turning slightly, she watched what looked like a loud party on a patio of a restaurant momentarily before turning her attention back to Draco. Smiling apologetically, she bit her lip before speaking. "Sorry, I keep getting distracted. I don't know if there's anything I don't want to know...so for once I guess I'll try to just go with the flow?" She resumed walking, making sure he was alongside her before she spoke again. "I can't believe you would give me free reign to ask anything I would want to know though...either you forgot who you were talking to or you honestly didn't mind answering my questions...it's sweet." None of her friends would give her that courtesy, at least not without getting annoyed at her. It was a marvelous feat for her to even consider that he would want to indulge her curiosities. Spying what looked like a promising spot further down the road a bit, she reached out and pointed at it. "What about there for lunch?"

Draco smiled at Hermione and he laughed when she found her self surprised that he would let her ask any thing about him. "Well I know what ever you ask it's something your curious about and I don't want to deter you from me for not answering one of them." Draco stayed close to Hermione as they continued walking down the street and he nodded when Hermione pointed out a restaurant. "Sure that sounds good." Draco walked with Hermione to the restaurant.

Hermione smiled at her handsome companion before turning to address the hostess. They were led over to a booth by the window and she slipped in and thanked the woman before turning her attention to the menu. She glanced at it a moment before peeking over at him. It was odd how close she was to him so quickly, but she wasn't going to complain about it. Going with the flow for once, she instead changed the subject. They had plenty of time to get to the other questions she did have later. "I might just do the lunch special, half sandwich with lobster bisque. What are you thinking of getting?"

Draco took a seat opposite from Hermione and he glanced over the menu as well. When Hermione asked him what he wanted and told him what she was thinking he nodded and folded his menu. "Just a club sandwich I'm not too hungry today. At least not right now." The waitress came and took their food and drink orders and their menus before leaving them. Draco smiled and he looked out the window relaxed. He was happy to be with Hermione enjoying a nice quiet lunch they'd been having a difficult day primarily for Hermione but Draco had to admit it was stressful to him as well. He wanted so badly to help Hermione's parents so he could earn her approval. He knew it wasn't necessary for him to work so hard but if he didn't he would be failing his promise to her and he didn't want that to happen because of how he was feeling about her. Their marriage was a joke for her family but Draco thought about how it would be if he was to get married to one of the most brilliant witches he'd ever known.

Hermione was sure some comment about needing to eat later to keep her energy up was going to come next, but she was pleasantly surprised when she was mistaken. Ordering her combo and an iced tea once the waitress came over, she shifted back in the booth and surveyed him while he perused the scenery out the window. "Thank you...for today. I'm going to be honest with you. While I don't know you as well as I know Harry, or Ron, I don't think either of them would have been able to properly deal with what happened earlier..." She was deliberately a bit vague about things, because they were in public, but she knew he would know what she was talking about. She also knew she had apologized quite a lot, but she still felt a bit embarrassed by the mini meltdown she had. 

Draco was pulled out of his daydream by Hermione as she started to talk again he turned and had to refocus on what she was saying blinking. It took him a minute to respond slowly. "What's happened today I know it was difficult I don't expect you could have handled it any better than you did I know I was having a difficult time processing it it's a miracle I was able to do what I did for you." Draco reached across the table and he took Hermione's hand in his and he gave it a firm squeeze to comfort her. "We will do our very best to make everything work out."

The smile that his words brought to her face was brilliant, and she couldn't help the blush that came to her cheeks at the sincerity, or the little flip her heart did. She was about to thank him again when the waitress returned with their drinks and lunch. Thanking the woman, she took a sip of her iced tea before grabbing her spoon to try her bisque. The rest of their lunch passed relatively quickly and quietly once the food was brought to them, and she finished the majority of her soup and sandwich before she was satisfied. Leaning back slightly in the booth, she found her attention drawn out the window for a moment before a thought occurred to her. "I just realized that I would probably still be holed up in my room now if it wasn't for you coming along. I know we have a daunting task...but it doesn't seem as bad since you're helping me..."

Draco was a bit more quiet than usual while he ate his lunch and he looked back up at Hermione again when she started talking about how she would probably still be in her hotel room without him. "Well I'm glad I'm helping you break things up. I think for what we are doing only working a little bit at a time is going to be the best method of we try to work too much at once we will burn ourselves out and we might loose track of what we were doing to help your parents." Draco smiled and chuckled a bit. "You know something else. If we actualy do manage to find a way to help your parents we will be the first people to successfully recover obliviated memories in a safe way. A good start for me to rebuild my family name if I don't say so myself."

"I can honestly say that that thought hadn't really occurred to me... but I'm sure if anyone will be able to do it successfully and safely it will be us...not to sound egocentric or anything like that though..."She chewed on her lip idly while she started to drift off into her thoughts. Hermione nodded almost absently at his comment about rebuilding his family name, having heard it initially but not really reacted to it right away. She knew that wasn't his main reason for helping, but she was glad at the very least that if this succeeded he would be getting something beneficial for all his help other than her eternal gratitude. The brunette was a bit off still, and she wanted to do a bit more research, maybe check up and see if her parents had researched Draco's fake website. She turned her attention to the waitress when the woman dropped off their check and politely thanked her before moving to start grabbing for her purse, fumbling around inside for her wallet.

When the waitress brought the check Draco took it. "It's ok Hermione I've got it." Draco checked over the cost before he pulled out his wallet and payed for their food with the money he had from his wallet. The waitress came and took the check and the money and Draco looked back over at Hermione. "So what do you want to do now? Want to keep walking around the city or do you want to head back to the room?"

Having just found her wallet when he took the check, the brunette couldn't resist a quick pout. Thanking him while slowly tucking it back into her purse, Hermione took one last sip of her iced tea. "Let's explore the city a bit more, then we can head back. Maybe take a quick nap before dinner? I'm a little tired from earlier...but I don't just want to go back to the room now. Is that alright with you?"

The rest of their afternoon was filled with touring about the city on foot until Hermione had finaly gotten tired of walking and they had slipped into an ally and Draco had apparated them back to the hotel where they were able to rest for a while and do just a bit more research before heading out to get some dinner at a higher class restaurant that had been dracos choice he spoiled Hermione again ordering wine and taking control of the bill again since he'd promised to take care of their food expenses. When they were done they decided to go back to the beach for a little while to watch the sun set before they would head back to the hotel. Draco smiled his fingers intertwining with Hermione's as they walked. "I've had a lovely afternoon with you Hermione dinner was especially nice." Draco paused and he looked at the ocean and the sky when they reached the board walk. "Look at that isn't that beautiful." The sunset was a brilliant orange red and yellow fading seemlessly into the deep blues and blacks of night time.

Having immensely enjoyed walking around town with him and exploring, she had pressed on a bit longer than she should have. When she started stumbling more frequently from dragging her feet she finally admitted when he had probed that she was tired. Once back at the room, she had taken a short nap while he read and did more research, which she did appreciate. Unfortunately her sleep wasn't truly restful, and she was up fairly quickly. Having had a hunch that he was going to pick somewhere she considered lavish for dinner tonight, she made it a point to transfigure one of her casual sundresses into something a bit more formal to match him turned out to be a fantastic idea on her part. Her little black dress turned out to be a perfect choice for where they went. 

As they enjoyed their dinner and wine Hermione found herself calming down and loosening up a bit. She wasn't by any means drunk like she had been the previous day, but she was tipsy from her two glasses of wine. "You sure know how to spoil a girl..." Her tone was teasing, and she was all smiles. Walking with him afterwards she was all smiles as she squeezed his hand once he had entwined their fingers. They casually strolled along towards the beach, and once her attention was drawn to the sunset, she couldn't help but smile as she took in the scenery. Taking the initiative, she pulled Draco back towards the beach, wobbling a little once she hit the sand with her 3 inch heels. The brunette quickly kicked them aside (and inadvertently released his hand) while she bent to pick them up before leading him down towards the water. 

She didn't stop until she was at the shoreline where the waves would occasionally creep up and hit her toes. "It really is beautiful... Draco today has been mostly amazing, and it's all thanks to you..." Glancing away from the sky and peeking over her shoulders at him, she smiled once again before moving out of the reach of the waves and stepping back towards him. After a moment's debate she went with her instincts, opening her arms and moving even closer to wrap her arms around him with a grateful hug.

Draco had changed his own clothes into a black and grey suit that matched Hermione's black dress perfectly. Draco walked with Hermione down to the edge of the water not worrying about his own shoes as sand started to fall into them. Once at the shore he smiled watching the sun set before looking over at Hermione when she started talking and he smiled. "I am glad that you have been having a good time today." Draco smiled and he wrapped his arms Hermione and he lifted her slightly from the ground and he kissed her lips with the finesse one would expect from him after a beautiful date. The sun finaly falling down below the horizon the beach becoming empty. "Hermione you are so beautiful." Draco let her back down onto the sand and he smiled at her. "The beach is nice and empty.... Would you like to swim?"

As he lifted her up slightly and kissed her Hermione shifted and looped her arms around his neck, kissing him back. She finally released him as he put her down on the ground again, and at his compliment she found her cheeks tinting once again with a blush. "You, Draco, are one handsome wizard, I'm sure you realized." She couldn't help but tease him slightly as she complimented him, recalling how the hostess and their waitress had been trying to get his attention tonight. 

Honestly the dress she had chosen to transfigure her original dress into was not something she would have normally picked, but she thought it was sexy and could admit (at least to herself) that she wanted to make a good impression there for their date. As the sun finally fell below the horizon she couldn't help but look around again to take everything in. Looking up at him again with a bit of a confused expression on her face, she wanted to clarify. "You mean like transfigure something into swimsuits and go now?" Her cheeks colored again as the alternative of skinny dipping crossed her mind, but she wasn't brave enough to voice that aloud. Some Gryffindor she was.

Draco had one of his more sneaky smiles slip across his face when Hermione asked about transfiguring their clothing into swim wear. "No I was thinking of something a bit more intimate." Draco smiled and he leaned in close to Hermione. "It can be part of me showing you my skills hmmm?" Draco didn't wait for a response and he was already taking off his suit discarding the clothes up in the dry sand he had to stop for a minute to sit down and untie his shoes but soon they were off followed by his socks and his trousers. He stood before Hermione in his boxers and he smiled slyly at her. "Come on Hermione it will be fun." Draco started to walk backwards tward the water stopping just in the surf.

"A-alright..."Blushing darker at his words, and then his actions. As he began to strip she watched him, cheeks darkening even further as he stood in just in boxers before moving towards the water. The curly haired witch let her eyes shut a moment, and she took a deep breath before releasing it and turning around, pulling her hair over to one shoulder before peeking back at him. "Can you unzip me please?" Hermione knew she could fish out her wand to unzip the dress, or even simply end the spell that had transformed her other sundress into this one. Yet in the moment this seemed like the right course of action. Thankfully for her she had the foresight to wear matching knickers. Now that her shoes were off, once she shed her dress she would be standing before him in just a strapless black bra with lace overlay and matching panties.

Draco smiled and he stepped forward when Hermione asked him to help her unzip her dress he came over and caught the dress in his hands and unzipped it slowly until it reached the bottom. He leaned in and gently kissed Hermione's neck his fingers traced down her back before he stepped back letting her pull her dress off the rest of the way.

As she felt his hands come up and clasp the top of the dress and the zipper she nearly jumped, but was able to stave off the urge. She knew he was going to, but it still made her jump when she felt his warm hand against her heating skin. The brunette's eyelids fluttered as he kissed her neck while he did as she requested and dragged the zipper down. It was when his hand trailed down her now exposed skin that she shuddered, enjoying the light caress. 

Turning around once he stepped back to let her keep removing her dress she had to resist the urge to pout at him. Facing him, she slowly let her arms fall from the sleeves, the dress sitting on her hips a moment before falling to pool at her feel. She quickly stepped from the dress and bent to gather it and neatly fold it before tossing it on top of his clothes. She smiled a bit shyly at him as she stood there in her strapless black bra and knickers with lace overlay, before slowly coming to stand in front of him.

Draco smiled at Hermione and he held his hand out to her after she had gotten her dress off and put it away on top of his own clothes. Once she had his hand Draco lead her into the water and he leaned in close to her once they were waist deep in the water and he kissed her lips. He could feel she was full of trepidation at the prospect of skinny dipping with him in the ocean. Draco pulled back and he looked at her. "If your not comfortable we can transfigure swim suits instead." Draco was worried that he was pushing Hermione into things she might be uncomfortable with and he didn't want that.

Placing her hand in his, Hermione let him lead her into the water until she was submerged to her waist. Looking up at him, she smiled nervously as she saw his head dip down to bring his lips to hers. She kissed him back before pulling back when he did. She bit her lip nervously before shaking her head at him. "I...I've just never done anything like this before... Glancing around, she looked down at herself before shrugging. "I mean this is basically just like a bikini...so I could just keep this on if I need to...?" She inadvertently left her statement as a question, knowing that he wouldn't push her which is one reason she was even going along with this in the first place. It would be a bold decision if she decided she was going to go any further to indeed skinny dip in the ocean, but she knew that in the heat of the moment she would probably be able to be convinced. It was nerves and the fear of getting caught; which also gave what they were doing more of a thrill.

"I was sure you'd never done anything like this before I think the question now is do you want to do it? We were planning on having sex later. If you want to take that into account if your nervous at the idea of me seeing you naked or the other way around. We might want to reconsider that." Draco settled down further into the warm ocean water and he watched Hermione curious if she was as brave and adventurous as Gryffindors were supposed to be.

He had a point, she had to concede that to him. She was silent for a moment, idly biting her lower lip as she seemed to ponder what course of action she was going to take. Turning away from him, she started to make her way back to shore, and she was sure it looked like she was chickening out. Hermione Granger was no chicken though. She got about halfway back to shore before she stopped again and took a deep breath to steady the butterflies in her stomach. Reaching behind her, she unhooked her bra and threw it towards the pile their clothing made on the shore. It didn't come close, but she wasn't paying much attention to it any longer. Crossing her arms over her chest a bit self consciously, she made her way back over to where he was before moving a bit further past him, so the water came up higher and she could a bit more comfortably let her arms drop as the water was covering her. "It's not that I don't want to...I'm just worried that you'll find me utterly pathetic compared to someone more like oh....uh....Pansy for instance..."

Draco watched Hermione as she walked away feeling admittedly disappointed but fine with her decision until she took her bra off and threw it toward their clothes. Draco watched Hermione with curiosity on his face as she came back and settled into the water until it covered her breasts. Draco shook his head at Hermione's concerns when she finaly expressed them. "Pansy Parkinson, tch, despite what people think about me and her. I only dated her breifly while we were in school and it never went anywhere it infact fuled most of my distaste for her. I wouldn't compare you to her if I were your much more pleasant and under those reckless curls your much more beautiful then her." Draco moved forward a bit closer to Hermione and he put his hand on her hip his fingers tracing the top of her knickers. "Besides don't you know I'm particular about who I'm affectionate with. If I wasn't completely interested in you we'd probably be back in the room working. But here we are."

"People think it because she told it be to true to whomever would listen. She had no qualms sharing details from your "sordid affairs"... although now I know the truth." Go figure that one of the bitchiest pureblood women she knew was lying about being with the Slytherin prince that Draco was. It almost made her smile as she thought it was fitting, almost. Having been distracted with her own thoughts of karmic justice against Pansy, she hadn't noticed him move closer at first, until he started speaking again. Flushing again as he began to trace the top of her panties, she reached out, moving her tangle her fingers with his momentarily as an idea occurred to her. Despite her red cheeks she had a bit of a sly smile on her face. "Would you say you're a good swimmer Draco?" Hermione idly entwined their fingers momentarily before releasing his hand altogether and letting it settle back where it had been. Shifting herself closer now and letting hers hands skim his waist idly, she waited for his answer. If he could touch her than she could most certainly touch him.

Draco laughed. "Yah I heard her stories amusing." Draco let Hermione take his hand in hers and he gently rubbed his fingers against hers noticing her move slightly closer to him. "I would say I am a good swimmer I've had plenty of practice. What were you thinking?" Draco smiled he could see that she had some idea forming in her mind. Draco put his hand back on her hip his other reaching up and touching her shoulder tracing small circles on her skin.

"I also happen to be a good swimmer... Tell you what. You give me a 5 second head start, and if you can catch me you can get rid of my panties." Her cheeks were bright red at the brazen offer, since she knew that being as he was an athletic type (what with his history of quidditch and lithe figure) she figured he would catch her, but she may be able to give him a short run for his money. She shifted both hands now, resting them idly on his chest before trailing her nails down the front of his pecs and abs, stopping only once she reached his boxers before smiling up at him. "Think you're up for the challenge?"

Draco laughed at Hermione's suggestion and he grinned at her. "Sure why not and as a bonus if I catch you, you can take my boxers off of me." Draco smiled and he let go of her stepping back. "Shall I count?" Draco closed his eyes a bit feeling Hermione's fingers dragging down his chest and stumach was filled with great sensations what put him on the edge of just wanting to tackle her into the water and kiss her more ferociously and give her her own sensations.

"Count away..." Sinking down into the water, Hermione gave a quick nod before quickly ducking underwater, taking a second to get her bearings before pushing off while she could still touch the bottom to begin her quick swim away. She surfaced further away for him but didn't dare look back; she knew her head start was up and she was determined to at least make him work a little bit for his prize. She went deeper into the water before going back underwater, using the knowledge from all her summer camp swimming sessions from when she was a little girl.

Draco waited until Hermione had gone under the water to start counting. It went quickly he reached five just as she surfaced and he laughed and he got under the water and pushed himself off after her coming up past where she had but then he switched to a swimming stroke that propelled him through the water more efficiently than diving under the water did. Draco let Hermione escape once laughing then he swam after her again and caught her waist and he pulled her close to him rolling in the water so he was on his back and he pulled her onto him and he smiled at her. "I caught you Hermione." The waves pushed them back closer to shore and Draco righted both of them when they were back near the chest deep water and he leaned in and kissed Hermione's cheek once. "Here let me relive you of the burdon of those underwear." Draco sank under the water and he pulled her underwear down past her calves lifting her feet gently he claimed her underwear. Draco came back up and he held her panties up and grinned. "Your turn."

Hermione laughed as well as he caught her, floating along as he pulled her to rest on top of him, the sensation of her naked breasts rubbing against his chest causing her to shiver (a good shiver, not from cold) as the waves carried them a bit closer to shore. Once they were back in the chest deep water and he stood her on her own two feet she laughed lightly at his statement before he went underwater. Feeling his hands skimming against her legs as he drew her underwear down made her shiver, and she picked her feet up when prompted. Once he surfaced and was victoriously holding his prize she nodded her head, smiling as she shifted closer. Stretching up on her tip toes she gave him a quick peck while her hands trailed slowly down his chest once more, this time not stopping and trailing down over his boxers as well. She ducked down under the water and tugged at the bottom of his boxers playfully before actually sliding them down past his knees. She first lifted one of his legs, then the other before coming back to the surface and waving his boxers like a flag. "I think I get the better deal out of this..." Her cheeks were still red, but she was a bit more relaxed now, going with the flow much more easily.

Draco smiled when Hermione took her turn kissing him quickly before running her hands over his body and down over his boxers he moaned when she went down under the water and teased him a bit before pulling them off all the way her hands against his bare skin was electric lighting up the nerves on his body pushing his body to errect his member it trembled and he smiled in enjoyment when Hermione retuned. He opened his eyes and saw her waving his boxers like a flag before she proclaimed that she had the bigger prize of the two of them. "Oh and what gives you that impression?" Draco smiled at Hermione before he reached over and ran his hand down her side again not stopping at her hip but continuing down as far as he could without bending or going under the water then he went back up pausing just next to where her bra would have been laying.

One of her eyebrows quirked up slightly in amusement at his inquiry before she boldly let her eyes stare down. She couldn't see through the water, but she was obviously alluding to a newly erected part of his anatomy. Shifting even closer again, one hand came up under the water and trailed along his hip, her nails scraping his skin occasionally. "It's just this hunch I have that my prize is bigger..." Hermione beckoned him to lean over a bit before gently kissing him once more, her arms sliding up his chest to grip his shoulders gently now, his boxers forgotten momentarily. The benefit of having magic after all meant that they could summon their clothing right back to them.

Draco smiled and he chuckled noticing Hermione's gaze trying to pierce the dark waters where his member was. Draco reached down and he slid his hand up her arm as she touched his now bare hip. Draco leaned closer to Hermione and he slipped his arms around her as they kissed he pulled her in closer to his hip. His hands sliding down her back his hands sliding down to her behind.

She had gotten an eyeful when she had ducked underwater to remove his boxers, and that wasn't even fully operational. She was definitely a little marveled by it. It was while they kissed that she first ended up pressed against him. She could feel him pressing against her lower tummy. Instead of shying away, Hermione tightened her grip on his shoulders before her hands slid and she looped them around his neck. In doing that she pulled herself flush against him, deepening their kiss and moving to lightly nibble on his lower lip.

Draco moved his hands one moving into her hair and the other moving back to her lower back lifting her up a little bit as he kissed her more deeply. His heart was racing feeling Hermione pressing her body so close to his. He blushed slightly as Hermione nibbled on his lip. Draco pulled away from her lips slightly and leaned down and kissed Hermione's neck gently biting her just enough to give her sensation but not enough to hurt her.

The moment Draco pulled away from their kiss Hermione couldn't help but pout. He was a good kisser, and she definitely enjoyed doing so with him. When his head dipped down to her neck and began to kiss there, her head tilted to the side to give him unrestricted access. She felt his hand tangle into her hair, the other also leaving her butt and splaying across her lower back. As he bit her neck gently she couldn't help the small groan that escaped her. Her hands were the ones roaming now, trailing along his shoulder and down his arm while the other shifted to tangle in his hair as well. 

Draco kissed Hermione's neck up to her ear and he gently nibbled on her earlobe for a moment before moving to her cheek and back to her lips. Draco moved his hand from Hermione's head to her shoulder then down her chest and he very gently stroked her breast and he cupped it in his hand.

The moment his lips made contact with her earlobe her fingers tightened in his hair. When he nibbled on it her eyes fluttered shut and she gave another small groan. As he kissed his way back to her lips she kissed him back eagerly, completely oblivious to his traveling hand until it made contact. The light stroke had another mewl escape, only to be swallowed up by his lips. Deepening the kiss, she shifted herself slightly, pressing fully against him and into his hand, silently letting him know it was ok.

When Hermione pushed herself more firmly into his hand Draco didn't hesitate to handle her breast more firmly giving it a squeeze and he let his fingers explore its smooth surface before sliding across her chest to the other all the while he continued to kiss her more passionately his tounge finding its way into her mouth to explore.

While her tongue came to tangle with his during their kiss her hand shifted around his torso and began to stroke the length of his back. Her other hand was still in his hair, though it had shifted and was toying with the hair at the base of his head and trailing over his neck while they kissed. She wasn't even thinking the way she usually would be about being self conscious with the way he was currently distracting her and swallowing any little moans she made with his lips. The fact that they were still in the ocean in a foreign country and could get caught at any time made it even more thrilling.

Draco moved his hands to Hermione's waist then down to her behind and he lifted her up his hands sliding down her legs gently pulling them apart before he moved her so she could wrap her legs around his hips and be held up by him his hands moving back around her behind one hand cupping one of her butt cheeks the other hand supporting her back. He kissed her more his hand rubbing her back slowly. 

On the beach an officer on patrol had found their clothing and then he found them and he waved his flashlight making sure to hit them in the faces Draco winced pulling away from kissing Hermione. "Alright you two enough of that come out. The beach is closed." Draco put Hermione down slowly glancing at her before he started to move forward but off to one side close to their clothing.

As she was wrapped up in the kiss, she didn't fight when he shifted and adjusted her legs. It was when she had done as he was suggesting with his action, which was wrap her legs around his waist, that she could truly feel him against her. The position she was now in had him warm and hard and right against her. She gasped at the sensation in their kiss, but did not pull away. She had tensed slightly, but as he palmed her backside and rubbed her back, along with their dueling tongues she was quickly settled, even wiggled against him a bit as he kept his hand on her butt. 

She froze immediately as he pulled away, initially thinking she had done something, but when she opened her eyes and saw the flashlight beam she made a face. Figures they would get caught. Silently holding out her hand under the water she was thankful it was super dark now so the muggle officer wouldn't see her summon her undergarments and his boxers. She used magic to get them on quickly, so she was decent, before following behind him, handing Draco his boxers with bright red cheeks. The farther out of the water she got the chillier she noticed it was, goosebumps rising on her skin as she gathered her hair and rung it out. "Sorry sir...we're not from around here, I didn't realize the beach closed at night. We won't be causing any trouble here.."

Draco pulled on his boxers when Hermione passed them to him and he picked up their clothing. The officer rolled his eyes. "Don't let me catch you again or I'll take you in for public indecency." The officer started walking away and Draco took Hermione's hand and he chuckled under his breath before apperating them away to the hotel room he dropped their clothes and he swept Hermione up in his arms like a bride and he kissed her laughing as he carried her to their bed and he lay her down gently. Then he smiled at her and pulled her wet panties off before getting his own cold boxers off he dropped both their underwear on the floor and climbed onto the bed straddling her as he leaned down kissing her again one of his hands fondled her breast.

Hermione nodded her head at the officer and ducked her head down, cheeks bright red. She glanced up at Draco's laughter and couldn't help but giggle a bit herself as they apparated away. She stumbled slightly once they were back in the room, dropping her shoes carelessly on the ground. She had a second to get her bearings before her handsome companion scooped her up in his arms before softly laying her down on the bed. Her cheeks flushed a bit darker as he removed her underwear again and his own boxers. Sitting up momentarily, she shed her hastily reapplied bra as well before laying back once more. As he climbed on top of her she smiled back, her arms coming up to grip his biceps now as they resumed where they had left off. His hand on her breast felt different when it wasn't being fondled underwater, and her back arched up slightly into his hand while she deepened the kiss, her tongue moving to explore his mouth now.

Draco continued to fondle Hermione's breasts for a while before he moved his hand slowly down her stumach pausing right at the base of her stumach he opened his eyes and he slowly slid his hand between her legs his hand catching her thigh and he pushed her legs apart moving his into the middle of her legs his fingers slid back up her side and he leaned forward and he kissed Hermione deeply the top of his dick brushing against her lady parts. He smiled down at her continuing to slowly rub himself against her his hands curling around her's. "Ready?"

She felt his hands leave her chest and trail down her body, before she felt him gently opening her legs. Flushing yet still kissing him, she opened herself up so that he was able to slip between her legs. He wasted no time getting them to this point, and she was glad. The moment she felt his hardness against her center she couldn't help the way her hips shifted up towards it. When he pulled back ever so slightly to ask if she were ready while his fingers had found hers she locked eyes with him and nodded. "Yes... please yes..." Hermione spread her legs a little wider, squeezing his fingers gently as she waited for him to stop just teasing them by rubbing against her and show her just what she was missing.

Draco smiled and he leaned in and kissed Hermione deeply letting go of one of her hands he slid it down her body and he slipped first one finger then two into her he scissored his fingers a bit up and down and side covering his fingers in the slick liquid from her then he used his fingers to cover his member with the liquid and then he pushed himself slowly into her letting her body adjust to the feelings he produced before he started to pump his hips forward and backward slowly at first but picking up a bit of speed as he went. He didn't let go of Hermione's other hand using it as a gauge for if he was moving to quickly he'd agreed to go slow with her and he didn't want to ruin it for her by moving to quickly or roughly.

At the feeling of his fingers first sliding inside she gasped and moaned in the kiss, her hips beginning to move along with his fingers. Her now free hand came up and gripped his bicep. It felt so good and he'd just started! Whimpering lightly as he pulled his fingers out, she considered pulling back from their kiss to give him a piece of her mind when she felt him shift slightly and his cock begin to penetrate her. As he slowly slid in her nails dug into his bicep and she broke the kiss, her head falling back against the mattress. He felt so large inside of her, it felt so amazing. "Oh...Draco it feels so good..." Her eyes were lidded and she shifted, bringing one of her legs up to wrap around his waist to help herself move against him. "You can go faster...please?"Her eyes opened to look up at him and she smiled, before leaning up and capturing his lips again in a deep kiss. 

Draco moaned into their kiss as he pushed himself into her she was comfortably tight around his girth. His eyes closed when Hermione broke their kiss laying her own head back and expressing her pleasure with him. He felt her leg hook itself over his hip and he smiled and he complied with her request pushing himself more into her he alternated a bit going faster and slower as he moved inside of Hermione. Draco leaned down and he kissed her neck and gently bit it before moving down to her chest and across then up the other side doing the same again to the other side he let go of her hands completely and he took her hips in his hands and he lifted her behind slightly pushing himself against her more firmly. His eyes opened and he looked down at her and smiled watching her body moving with his thrusting and the enjoyment on her face.

As he picked up the pace a bit Hermione released a breathy groan, her hand on his arm squeezing as it felt amazing. When he broke away from her lips again and began to kiss and bite at her neck she would tilt her head to give him plenty of skin to mark up. Her eyes fluttered shut again, and she was thoroughly enjoying this encounter much more than any of her others. While she and Ron had a good run, he wasn't a very attentive lover. Draco clearly was. Her eyes opened when he shifted to grasp her hips and hold her up slightly, tilting her so he could go deeper. "Oh...Draaco...." Moaning at the slightly deeper feeling, Hermione let her hand fall away from his arm, instead tangling her hands in the bedding around her. The slight position change had her breasts jiggling with each and every thrust, helping her build towards that feeling of ecstasy, and her eyes fluttering shut once more. She was getting close already. "So good...

Draco didn't slow himself as Hermione adjusted herself and expressed her pleasure moaning his name he pushed himself a bit harder with longer motions where he would almost completely pull out before pushing back into the tip of his cock touching the sensitive spot inside of her he could feel her muscles starting to contract his own balls acheing with the desire for relif his cock twitching a bit sporadically when he finaly managed to push Hermione to fall over the edge of ecstasy he followed quickly after letting his seed fall in her he panted a bit with the effort the sex had put him through but he smiled down at Hermione and kissed her gently before he pulled out of her and he slid off to one side his arms wrapping around her as he rested his head on the pillow physically looking exhausted as he sweat and continued to breath heavier than usual he pulled Hermione close to him letting her lay her head on his body as he cuddled her. "That was amazing Hermione it felt so good." Draco opened his eyes and he looked at her and smiled again.

Coming down from her own high, she shifted slightly so that she could nuzzle against his chest. She was breathing heavier than he was, but that was probably due to the fact that she was way more out of shape in this regard than he was. Despite how tired she felt, or rumpled she looked, she felt amazing. "Yeah it was... wow. I'm almost speechless, you're good you." She couldn't help but giggle a bit before reaching up and brushing a bit of his hair from his face before trailing her hand down before letting it rest on top of him as she snuggled close.

Draco smiled and he watched her hand brush over his face pushing his hair back before he let her hand rest on his chest he picked his own hand up and put it down on top of hers smiling. "You know I think we should do this again it's too much fun and it feels too good not to do again." Draco let his other hand run across Hermione's back drawing lazy circles.

Peeking up at him, she nodded her head with a smile, a light blush on her cheeks despite everything that just happened. "Do you mean right now? Because I need a minute if you're that insatiable..." The brunette stuck her tongue out at him with a teasing smile before shifting slightly and moving to twine her legs with his."I can't believe we got caught at the beach though..." She too began to draw little circles on his chest before she shifted her hand and moved to entwine her fingers with the hand of his that was covering her own.

Draco chuckled and he smiled. "Well I wasn't suggesting we do it again right now but if you want I wouldn't complain." Draco kissed Hermione and he wrapped his arms around her as she tangled their legs together. Draco laughed when Hermione complained about being caught in the ocean by the police officer. "That was invigorating I'm just glad he didn't try to arrest us. That would have killed the mood."

"You're insatiable aren't you?" Kissing him back momentarily, she pulled back after a moment. While doing it again would be something she was sure she would enjoy, she was tired now. She should have anticipated him to have more stamina though. Hermione nodded her head at his comment about getting caught being invigorating before snuggling a bit closer to him. "Thankfully indeed...last thing we need is to get arrested in Melbourne. That would have been an awkward phone call..."

Draco laughed as Hermione accused him of being insatiable. "Maybe I am, but admit it you loved me fucking you. And you want more." Draco let Hermione relax against him and he lay his hand on her back gently rubbing his thumb letting her relax. "Who would you have even called? I don't have anyone I could have called."

Blushing a bit at his statement, but not denying his words, she bit her lip as she was unable to bring herself to say what he had said. Simply nodding her head in agreement, the curly haired witch then sighed in contentment as he began to rub her back gently. "I probably would have called our embassy to call Harry...made him help both of us." Shifting slightly once again, Hermione shifted and propped her head up on her chin. "Although I don't think it would have come to that. Not that I condone this, but we do have magic. Worse case we could have disillusioned ourselves and gotten away easily."

Draco hugged Hermione. "Well you would have saved our butts if we'd gotten arrested. I certainly would have gotten us stuck." Draco nussled Hermione and he smiled. "So what do you think we should do tomorrow?"

Laughing lightly, she shook her head, knowing that he was wrong. He wouldn't have gotten them stuck. Leaning up, she brushed a bit of hair from his face before idly tracing her fingers along and down his jawline. "Tomorrow we should probably do more research, and check to see if my parents viewed that web page we made..." She also didn't want to be boring though, she she pondered what else. "Maybe we could have a nice breakfast in bed first though?"

"That sounds like a good plan I am interested to see if your parents will actualy take us seriously and give us a call." Draco smiled and considered the idea of breakfast in bed. "Call room service to bring it to us? I'd have to cast a spell over the cauldron so they wouldn't see it. But I think that would be nice." Draco streached out his body and groaned a bit as his joints cracked. "I think it's about time we head off to sleep what do you think?"

Nodding her head in agreement, before smiling sheepishly having forgotten about the cauldron in the corner, Hermione nodded. "Sounds good to me, let me just brush my teeth and stuff..." Stretching her arms over her head herself, she pecked him one more time before getting up and heading over to the bathroom. She was only in there for a few minutes, taking care of her nightly routine, only a bit red about walking around the room in the buff. Once she was finished she crawled back onto the bed before moving to scurry under the covers. 

Draco nodded and he watched Hermione go his eyes shamelessly watching her butt as she disappeared into the bathroom. He was about to lay down and relax to go to sleep again when he remembered the contraceptive potion Hermione needed to take that before they went to bed or its likely hood of failing would rise it was best to have one right after sex. Draco got up from the bed and he went to his backpack and used his wand to summon to potion to him from the bag. It was a light pink potion and it had a spoon attached to the outside of the bottle. Draco stood up just as Hermione was coming back out and had climbed into the bed. "Here I almost forgot this it's the contraceptive potion a spoonful will be enough." Draco sat down next to Hermione and he passed her the potion so she could get the potion for herself and once she'd taken it he took the bottle back and sent it back where it had come from in his backpack before he climbed back into bed with Hermione and smiled at her. "Last thing we need right now is to have you get pregnant that would complicate getting your parents back." Draco sighed and he settled into the bed his arms gently wrapping around Hermione he was fading quickly and in a moment right before he went to sleep he muttered. "But I wouldn't mind a baby with you."

Blinking at him as he moved to hand her the potion, she nodded her head, blushing a bit as she realized that she hadn't even though to ask or take anything herself. Taking the dose she needed, she handed it back to him and watched him magically send it back to his bag. She then magically turned off the lights in the room. "Yeah, that is the last thing we need right now..." Smiling a bit as she settled down against him, her back pressed against his chest, hair thrown up and out of his face she let herself get comfortable. 

She sighed in contentment as he pulled her close and was about to fall asleep when his words in her ear had her tensing up. She didn't move for a moment, toying with his sentence in her head. It seemed awfully quick on his end to feel that way... Taking a deep breath, she shook her head slightly and snuggled back against him, vowing not to think about it and go to sleep. It took her a while, but she was indeed able to fall asleep. The sun peeking through the curtains and shining in her eyes was what woke her the next morning, and she groaned, moving to burrow her head into the pillow to block out the light, squirming a bit to get a bit more comfortable to get back to sleep


	6. Sex and Mind-games

In the morning when the sun broke through dracos contented sleep he didn't even remember what he'd uttered to Hermione right before her fallen asleep. He glowered at the curtains that had some how gotten opened up. He managed to summon his wand by hand and closed the drapes shutting out the worst of the morning light. Draco yawned and he lay his arm back over Hermione his wand still in his hand.he smiled watching her getting back to sleep and he was about to do the same he moved his wand so it was safely sitting on the bedside table and he curled back up with her comfortable and satisfied with the memory of the sex they'd had the night before.

 

Hermione shifted slightly and gave him a sleepy smile before laying back down. Snuggling back into him, she tugged his arm back around her waist, wanting the extra bit of warmth. The room was a bit chilly to her, so she couldn't help but snuggle close. She focused on her breathing, and then his, trying to get back to sleep but was unable to. Partially because it was hard for her to fall back to sleep, but also partially because a certain someone she was sharing the bed with was getting a wee bit excited. She initially squirmed against him, being disoriented and not sure what it was that was poking her, but she quickly realized just what she had rubbed against and flushed. "Someone's already up I see..."

Draco stroked Hermione's arm and chuckled a little as she noticed him. "A bit of morning wood haven't had that in a while." Draco laughed and he leaned in and gently kissed her cheek. "I think it can see how beautiful you are. What do you think?" Draco adjusted himself so it wasn't poking Hermione any more. "I guess we are awake now aren't we do you want me to call for room service?"

 

Rolling over onto her back, she smiled up at him, leaning up to kiss him gently. "Flatterer..."Nodding lightly to his question, she stretched her arms over her head before sitting up. "If you don't mind. I can call if you'd prefer though. Or if you want to uh, take care of that..."Glancing down at him through the blanket she smiled sheepishly. 

Draco smiled and he pulled Hermione close and he gave her a kiss. "I think I'll hop in the shower really quick then when I'm done I'll give room service a call. If you want to join me that would be fun." Draco winked a bit at Hermione and he got up and went off to the bathroom turning on the shower he stepped into the water not waiting to see if Hermione would follow him.

 

Hermione blushed a bit further as she watched him go, enjoying the view immensely. He had a nice behind and she had no problem checking it out when she could get away with it. She didn't move for a moment, clearly weighing the pros and cons of going to join him. Finally shrugging lightly, she followed after him into the bathroom. Quietly she slipped in behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She quickly pulled back though with a start at the water temperature. She hadn't expected it to be so cold! "Trying to freeze yourself if I didn't join?"

Draco smiled feeling Hermione's arms wrap around him as she climbed into the shower with him when she pulled back he laughed a bit and turned the temperature up more so it was warmer for her. "That better?" Draco turned around and he gently pulled Hermione closer to him again his hands sliding down her shoulders.

Laughing lightly as he adjusted the temperature she nodded and smiled. As he slid his hands down her shoulders she let her arms fall to her sides, bearing herself to his view. Her hands came up and she rested them gently on his waist, leaning up slightly to give him a quick kiss.

Draco smiled and he kissed Hermione and he put his hand on the top of her breast and he traced a heart on it before he pushed her against the wall of the shower so they were both in the stream of the water and he leaned down and bit Hermione's lower neck a few times not hard enough to bruise her. Then he switched to kissing her his hand gently squeezing her breast.

 

At his initial touch Hermione gasped lightly, before nearly stumbling as he pushed her against the wall of the shower. Her eyes slid shut as he started to bite at her neck. When his mouth left her skin she tilted her head to meet his lips halfway, her arms sliding up to grip his shoulders tightly as the water cascaded down over them. Her back arched away from the cold tile wall into his hand, moaning into his mouth as his hand traced her nipple.

Feeling Hermione so close to him was like a dream he didn't know what was real he never thought he'd actually be in this type of situation with her where he was able to touch her bare skin without her being completely disgusted by his past attitudes tward her. Draco put one hand back behind Hermione's head to keep it from being pressed against the hard tile of the shower as he kissed her more passionately than he had before his tounge finding its way into her mouth. His other hand moving from her breast to her butt his hand giving it a firm squeeze.

 

Groaning into his mouth once his hand began to squeeze her butt, Hermione picked up one leg and wrapped it around his waist, pressing herself against him daringly. She let her tongue tangle with his, attempting to show him in their kiss how much she enjoyed his touch. Her hands became bold, one hand sliding around his back to hold him close while the other began to trail her nails down his wet chest, tweaking his nipples before trailing further down.

Draco continued to kiss Hermione his tounge playing with hers. The hand on Hermione's butt squeezed her tightly before he slid his hand up to the leg she'd hiked up onto his waist he held her leg firmly and he pushed his own hips against hers his dick rubbing against her opening. Draco moaned feeling Hermione's fingernails against his chest and his nipples going further down his body.

 

Hermione groaned into his mouth, her nails digging into his shoulder blade as he teasingly rubbed himself against her wet heat. Taking initiative, she let her hand adventure down and gently grasped him, her fingers trailing over his erection. Deciding that she could always explore him later, she instead used her current grip to align him with her opening, pulling him in slightly with the leg that was around his waist. She pulled back from their kiss to breathe, dipping her head to trail her own kisses down his neck now.

Draco eyes closed in enjoyment as he felt Hermione's hand wrap around his length exploring a little before she moved him closer to her opening and he moved the way she wanted. When she moved her head away from the wall Draco slid his hand down her side and he put his hand on her ass and he pushed himself deep into her liking the different angle they had he moaned as Hermione kissed his neck and he thrust himself into her.

 

The moment he finished the stroke and was fully seated inside Hermione moaned and gently bit as his neck in return. She did this a few times, marking different areas with teeth marks gently before moving on. She pushed him to lean back slightly as she moved a bit further down, this shower interlude showing Draco just how inquisitive and bold she could be. She kissed and licked down to his chest before teasingly nibbling on first one, then the other nipple before she pulled him close once again and moved to kiss him on the lips once more, the occasional loud moan escaping as he would give a particularly deep thrust. 

The way Hermione moved over his body inquisitively drove Draco crazy it felt so delicate and seductive. "Oh gods Hermione." He moaned her name as she played with his nipples and he continued to work himself inside of her. When she pulled him back in close he leaned closer in against the wall his hips thrusting more firmly against her. Draco kissed Hermione deeply his fingers squeezing her butt before moving back up her side his hand taking hers and lifting it above her head his fingers weaving in with hers he bent down pulling away from their kissing to bite Hermione gently on her breast his tounge gently swirled around her nipple then the other breast copying the movements. Draco pumped his hips more vigorously and he finished inside of her again his head against her chest and he pulled out moving her so she was standing again on both of her feet and he lifted his head up and kissed Hermione lightly on her lips. "Why didn't we do this sooner? Your so much fun to have sex with."

 

Hermione moaned as he began to move harder and faster inside her, her head falling back once more. Her back arched away from the tile as he shifted his attention to her breasts, giving them similar treatment to what she had done to him. Coupled with the feeling of him inside her she came just after he did, crying out his name as she came, sagging back against the wall as she panted. Shakily standing on both legs when she was sure she was steady, she pulled away from the wall before returning his quick kiss. A giggle escaped her despite the blush that had once again made its way to her cheeks at his compliment, and she moved to grab her shampoo to actually begin washing now. "Considering this is only the third day we're here I think we moved pretty quickly...but I have to agree with you, this is way more fun than I had anticipated."

Draco blushed a little bit as Hermione pointed out they had only been together for a couple of days before this and obviously before that they were so against eachother she never would have considered doing anything like this with him. Even before the war had started. Draco smiled and he took the soap and he moved close to Hermione again and he used the soap to slowly clean off her body. "I really do appreciate you letting me come here with you."

 

As he finished lathering her up she took her soap back and began to wash him now, smiling at him. "I'm glad you found me and I invited you along as well. I'm happy that things have turned out the way they have." Shifting to stand under the water she rinsed her hair and body before moving so he could rinse as well.

"It will be very strange once we go back. Our relationship is more different now even after just three days than I could have ever dreamed it would be. In a year or more I can't imagine what it will be like..." Draco rubbed the sudds across his chest for a minute thinking about how it would be to be in such close contact to Weasley and Potter after being alone with Hermione he was sure it would be unpleasant to say the least at least to be around Weasley who was convinced that he was trying to hurt Hermione. But there was no telling with potter who seemed to be taking the whole thing in stride only beliveing what Hermione promised him. Draco stepped into the water and he washed himself off before leaning back against the tile watching Hermione continuing to rinse herself off. "I guess once we get out we ought to do more research or something to that effect in preparation for working with your parents. I wouldn't mind doing a bit more legilimency practice if you don't mind me using you."

Hermione too was a bit pensive as she waited her turn to rinse off. She knew he was right, and she agreed. It would be a tough mesh of him and her friends, but she was sure that it was something that could happen. She didn't want to have to choose between them. While she may not know Draco as well as the boys, she knew what her heart was telling her to do. Her brain balked at the idea but her heart told her she wouldn't like a life without Draco. Once she was done rinsing off she turned off the water, leaning up to give him a quick peck. "I don't mind, you're more than welcome to practice on me. It'll be good practice for me as well at being aware there is someone in my mind."

Draco nodded and he got out of the shower after Hermione had turned the water off and he passed her a towel and dried himself off with the other. "I really need the practice before I start working with your parents." Draco wrapped the towel around his waist and he went out to the room and pulled on a pair of boxers and a pair of shorts. "What are you hungry for?" Draco skimmed over the menu which had been left on the desk picking out something for himself before passing it over to Hermione. Draco took his wand and cast a spell over the cauldron and he made it look like nothing was on the table for when they got the food from the room service.

 

Hermione quickly toweled off before moving to wrap her hair up in a towel. Letting it settle, she too began to get dressed. Pulling on her own underwear she grabbed a red tank top and a pair of black Capris before plopping down on the bed and moving to towel her hair.

"Well originally I just wanted a pastry...but you have tired me out and I now want something more substantial... A waffle with some bacon and scrambled eggs should do it for me." Smiling at him, she stood and began to rummage through her bag once again for her brush. She had to at least try to tame her hair or it would be chaotic. She grabbed her wand as well, casting a quick scourgify at the bed to clean the sheets before plopping back down and beginning her detangling.

Draco nodded and he took the menu back from Hermione after she finished with it then he took the phone and called down to the room service and he ordered what Hermione had asked for in addition to his his own order of blueberry pancakes with syrup and a bowl of fresh fruit and a pitcher of orange juice. They told him it would be about twenty minutes but they would bring the food up as soon as they could, Draco thanked them and he hug up the phone and he walked back over to where Hermione was sitting on the bed brushing her hair and he smiled and he sat down and lay back. "It's going to be about twenty minutes. I think it would be best to get a little bit of food before we start practicing legilimency and occulmency can be pretty physically exhausting and mentally of course." Draco smiled watching Hermione brushing her hair trying to tame it before it dried.

 

She glanced over at Draco when he laid back on the bed next to her before continuing to focus on her hair. With a triumphant smile, she finished brushing before getting up and spraying a conditioner in her hair before once last quick brush through. Tossing her brush back on her things, she plopped down next to him and poked him in the side. "Don't get too comfortable...you may fall back to sleep."

"After that sex with you I wouldn't mind a nap." Draco laughed a bit and he smiled sitting up and he leaned over and kissed Hermione's cheek. "Why don't you get your computer and we can check and see if your parents have looked at the website yet." Draco got up from the bed and he took one of the books on legilimency that he'd been working on and he sat back down on the bed and started to read it again.

 

Giggling a bit at his response, Hermione nodded at his suggestion before moving to grab her laptop. She began the start up process before moving to grab her cell phone. She had a few texts that she idly opened and read before replying to one of them and tossing her phone aside. Once her computer was logged in, she opened the fake website, before logging in as an admin. "Well, your page has definitely got some views. I need to dig a little further to make sure any of them were my parents though..."

Draco laughed a bit when Hermione said that there had been some views on the website. "Well that's certainly interesting. I wonder how many people have been looking for my contact information." Draco laughed again. "I guess if I never go back to the wizarding world in England I could always take up hypnotism you did build me a nice website." Draco stuck his tounge out at his idea and he lay back returning to his book. There was a knock at the door and Draco got up and put his book down going to answer it. A member of the hotel staff was there with their food on a cart. "Oh thank you. Why don't you go on ahead and put it down on the desk." Draco held the door open for the man who took the food and moved it to the desk as Draco had asked. When he was done Draco had gotten his wallet and pulled a few dollars out and passed it to him as a tip. "Thank you." Draco held the door again and then closed it and returned to Hermione. "Mmmm breakfast looks good."

 

She shook her head with a smile on her face before turning back to her laptop, intent to find out just who had viewed the website. She was fairly immersed in her task that when the knock on the door came Hermione jumped, startled momentarily. As the staff member entered the room with the food Hermione nodded politely at the man before turning her attention to the food as Draco showed him out. Lifting one of the lids from one plate, she inhaled the smell of his pancakes before moving on and uncovering her waffles and bacon. "It all smells so delicious...I can't wait to dig in!" With a smile, she uncovered everything before moving to grab her wand, conjuring them a second chair (as the room had one) before moving to elongate the desk so they each had room to eat comfortably. Smiling once she was done, she began to spread everything out before moving to grab her utensils and plopping down, eagerly munching on a strip of bacon.

Draco came back and he took the seat Hermione had created and he sat down with her at the desk and he pulled his pancakes to him. Draco smiled and he started eating his pancakes. "Mmm. These are great I didn't expect them to be so good. Would you like a bite?" Draco smiled at Hermione. "What do you think of yours?"

 

Having sat down herself and begun to eat her waffle, Hermione looked up at him after she had chewed and swallowed her own bite. She nodded and smiled. "You're definitely right. I did not expect them to be this good. Would you like a bite of my waffle, or a piece of bacon?" She accepted his offering before sampling his as well. She mmm'd in satisfaction before moving to grab a water bottle that had come with their food. Taking a quick sip, she nodded as she moved onto her eggs now. "Definitely delicious...although our activities probably helped us to work up such a voracious appetite, I'm glad the food's delicious."

"Well I certainly didn't mind our activities." Draco accepted Hermione's offer and he took a slice of bacon from her plate and he ate it and finished off his own food a bit quicker than he'd meant to. "That was good. We can start practicing when ever your ready Hermione." Draco got up and he removed the spell concealing the couldron it still had a few days to steep but he wanted to make sure it was visible so they didn't accidentally knock into it. Draco picked his book back up and he settled back on the bed waiting for Hermione to be ready for him to practice on her.

 

Hermione blushed lightly, before nodding. She fell silent as she finished off her own food at a slightly slower pace than Draco did before idly gathering all the plates and stacking them. Casting a finite to shrink the desk back to its normal size, she made her way over to the bed before plopping down next to him. She shifted a bit so she was sitting cross legged and facing him before smiling brightly. "Alright. Let's do this. I'm sorry if you end up seeing anything weird in my subconscious though, just throwing that out there now."

Draco folded the book up and put it down on the bed sitting up he crossed his own legs and smiled. "I'm sure your mind will be perfectly delightful." Draco laughed a bit and he pulled his wand out. "Alright so basically your goal is to keep me out of your head. It sound simple enough but it can be very difficult. The easiest way is to clear your mind and to try to keep it clear of any thoughts or emotions you might feel normally. Another method is to focus on one repetitive thing like a nursery rhyme or a song. I think first though it would be good for you to first detect that I'm in your mind because that can be equally difficult assuming I don't bumble around. Snape always told me I was a bumbling mess when I practiced so you might be able to find me quite easily." Draco took his wand in his hand and flurish it speaking the spell outloud and his view was of her memories spending time with her parents and her friends at school he waded slowly through her mind looking for any deep dark secrets she might have been hiding or a memory that could have been erased.

 

Hermione nodded her head, curls bouncing slightly as she did so. She did as he suggested, focusing on song lyrics before her mind seemed to change directions on its own to memories of her with her parents and then at school with her friends, which was her sign that he was rifling around in her head. She furrowed her brows and instead focused on a very specific memory, trying to make his path to finding things in her mind a bit difficult so he would get some practice maneuvering around. A naughty smile made its way onto her face and she chose to think about the beginning of their encounter last night in the ocean. Replaying his seduction of her in the water, she worked hard to stay focused on that so he wouldn't be able to delve deeper without a fight. She wasn't going to make this easy for him. 

Draco was able to easily push aside the lyrics to some song he didn't know that she was thinking about he moved deeper into her mind and then was pulled back out as the memory of what they had done the night before was pushed before him. He couldn't help himself and he became distracted seeing and feeling the things they had done from her perspective. "Slippery little minx." Draco murmered and chuckled letting his grip on her fall and he released her. "That was clever. But not very orthodox it gives away too many of your emotions and your relationship to me. If some one dangerous was in your mind and you showed them that they would know that I mean quite a bit to you and that they would be able to use me to get to you or vise versa. You did find me pretty quickly I guess I'm still bumbling." Draco sighed a bit. "Oh well more practice should help." Draco shifted just a bit on the bed getting more comfortable. "Let's keep practicing like this for a while then if you want we can try your idea of obliviating a memory. Maybe one of the times I was a prick to you back in school? But not yet I don't want to do that to you if I don't have to." Draco smiled at Hermione and he streached a little. "Go on and try and block me from getting in." Draco waited until Hermione was ready and he cast the spell again and managed to get past her defenses again and started to move through her more recent memories of the end of the war the rebuilding finding him in the book shop after not seeing him for a long long time.

 

She couldn't help but giggle at his reaction before she too shifted and laid back, getting more comfortable herself. "Well I only used that memory because it's you. I wanted to see if I could catch you off guard, and I could." She couldn't help the bit of smug satisfaction that he was so affected by her. It was a bit empowering. "We can do that, and if you'd like I'll even volunteer the memory of you being turned into a ferret..." Shaking her head slightly, she let herself relax momentarily before attempting to keep him out of her head.She thought she had a good defense when he slipped inside, and she noticed he was a lot more subtle this time around. She tried to block him from seeing the memory of her initial reaction of seeing him at Flourish and Blotts to see if he would be able to get passed the obstacle she threw at him this time. 

Draco slowed down as he approached the memory of her first seeing him in Flourish and Blotts it was fuzzy as if covered in mist he brushed it away like cleaning a window of steam and the memory was clear again. He stopped manipulating her train of thought and let it flow normally for a few moments before latching onto a thought about her parents and he followed the thought to the first time she'd been told she was a witch his curiosity getting the better of him. Another minute or so passed and he had to let her go holding the spell exhausting him mentally. Draco lay back and he sighed a bit before he propped himself up a little and looked at Hermione. "I said I'd teach you Legilimency as well. It might help you get a better idea of how occulmency works if you see me use it. Basic legilimency is fairly simple once your inside of someone's mind you just need to focus on their train of thought and it will clear all the noise up. The hard part is moving the persons thoughts to where you want them without being noticed. Do you want to give it a try? I'll block you first so you can see what occulmency is like when it's being used."

 

Hermione opened her eyes when she felt Draco shift on the bed. Moving to sit up now herself, she nodded her head, eyes lit like a kid who just entered a candy store. "If you don't mind me possibly poking around in your head too, then I'd love to try." She smiled at the blonde wizard before stretching her arms over her head and accio'ing her own wand over to her wordlessly. When it flew into her hand she turned to face him once more, eagerly nodding to his suggestion. When she was sure he was ready, she reached out, beginning her contact with him almost tentatively. 

When she cast the spell to enter his mind she found herself in a blank white room that had no shape nothing in it and no entrances or exits and the edges couldn't be touched it was silent. Draco let Hermione fuss around in the occulmency for a minute before he let the block dissolve. His mind drifted along thinking about their trip to Australia. He could feel her floating along without much skill for directing his thoughts.

 

As soon as she made contact Hermione knew that this was what a good mental defense was. She felt almost like she was locked in a white box. Nothing she seemed to do would get passed his defense. It was when he realized she had tried everything to break his block that he released it, and began to think about their trip. She tried to look through his memories to find anything specific, but she found she was unable to guide him. Releasing him and flopping back on the bed, the curly haired with pouted and took a deep breath. "It's quite a bit harder than I anticipated...and exhausting. I barely even did anything too! How can I create blocks like that? How did you get so good so quickly?" She knew she was asking a million questions, but that was what she was known for and she wanted to know so she could try to master the skill. She knew she had a ways to go, but if he was up for the challenge she wanted to learn. 

Draco relaxed a bit when Hermione let go of his mind even though he knew she was almost his friend and she wouldn't hurt him he'd been conditioned that it was dangerous to let anyone into his mind. "Yah it's exhausting especially mentally if you aren't prepared for it. You did pretty well though. Let's take a break for a while." Draco sighed a bit and he laid back against the pillow. "You'll just need to practice. You can do it on your own without me going into your mind. You clear your mind focus on hiding what's inside." Draco looked at the window when Hermione asked how he'd gotten so good in just a few years. "I had to be good at occulmency. I started working on occulmency our fourth year when Snape knew that Voldemort was coming back. Our fifth year my aunt Bellatrix escaped from Azkaban and she wanted me protected from Voldemort too she wasn't as patient as snape and she'd torture me if I didn't get it done the way she wanted. But when it came to being around Voldemort it was worth it despite the pain I went through keeping him out of my head it kept your family safe and stopped him from being able to. mentally destroy me like he did to my father and so many others."

 

Biting her lip, Hermione was mentally kicking herself for asking such a question. She reached out, tentatively touching his cheek to draw his gaze away from the window. She smiled sadly at him, before leaning in and giving him a quick kiss before moving to curl up against his side. "Never thought I'd be thankful to her for anything..." She was of course referring to his mention of Bellatrix. Idly, her hand shifted to her concealed scar, squeezing her arm momentarily. "I'll keep on practicing, it's a useful skill to have even if it did come about because of terrible circumstances."

"She was a ruthless bitch. I'll admit it, and I'm glad she's gone she was never a very good aunt to begin with.... And I hated her for what she did to you." Draco reached over rolling onto his side and he touched Hermione's arm over the scar he could feel the raised letters under his finger and he traced them slowly frowning his own hand reaching up to rub his darkmark it was filled with pain as he remembered all the things that had been done during the war. Draco was caught up in his thoughts when Hermione's cellphone started to ring loudly from Hermione's beach bag. "What the hell?" Draco jumped sitting up looking around the room trying to figure out where the sound was coming from and what it was.

 

Hermione had tensed as he laid his hand over her arm, before relaxing against him. It wasn't him that caused her momentary discomfort, it was anyone who touched the scar that caused it. She had been about to speak and snap him from his thoughts when her cell phone began to ring loudly throughout the room. She jumped up as well before waving her hand at him and moving to go grab it from her bag. "It's just my cell phone, nothing to worry about." Grasping the device, she nearly dropped it at the name flashing along her screen before taking a deep breath and answering it. "Hello?

On the line there was a little bit of whispering between mr and mrs granger. "Are you sure?" When Hermione answered the phone mr. Granger cleared his throat before speaking and trying to cover up their still some what skeptical coversation that they'd been having while waiting for the phone to be answered. "Oh yes Mrs. Malfoy is your husband available to speak we'd like to set up that consultation with him." Draco had scooted close enough to hear what was being said on the line and he jumped up and held a finger up indicating for Hermione to wait a moment he went to the desk and grabbed he hotel note pad and a pen checking to see if it worked he came back over and sat down ready to write before nodding to Hermione to pass the phone to him so he could talk.

 

Hermione let a brilliant smile blossom on her face, yet her voice was completely composed and did not reflect her excitement. "Of course Mr. Granger, please hold on a moment." Hermione muted the call and waited for Draco to get settled. Unmuting the phone, since she had a feeling he may not know how to do so, she held it out for him and nodded at him as he took it and began to talk. She was happy that they were calling! It was another step in the right direction, and she really hoped he could sell them on the consultation.

"Hello?" Draco handled the cell phone a bit akwardly still not totally used to how muggles communicated even though he'd seen his muggle friends use their phones plenty of times. "Hello Mr. Malfoy it's Mr. Granger. My wife and I discussed your offer of your consult for the hypnotism. After looking at your web page we decided to accept your offer." Draco smiled and he nodded. "That's great I know you won't regret this decision. When would you like to meet?" Draco shifted a bit getting ready to write. "We'll both my wife and I will be working the rest of the week until Sunday. Why don't we meet after church on Sunday." Draco nodded again writing down the time and date for the meeting. "Where would you like to meet? I can come to you at your house or you could come to the hotel my wife and I are staying in what ever works best for you. Also my wife will be willing to watch your daughter for you of course so you don't need to find a nanny for her." Hermione's father took a moment to consult his wife about where they wanted to have the meeting. "We can do it at our house we will call you on Saturday evening to give you the address. We're usually back home from church around noon. So anytime after that will be just fine." "I look forward to seeing you then we will wait for your call. Have a nice day Mr. Granger." "Thank you mr. Malfoy and you as well." Hermione's father hung up the phone and Draco passed it back to Hermione. "They want to meet at their house on Sunday they will call us again on Saturday evening to give us the address still skeptical about our intentions I suppose. But at least they accepted and we have plenty of time to keep working on figuring out how to unblock the memories." Draco finished writing the notes and he put the pad and pen down on the bedside table and he lay back on the bed again rubbing his head a little. "Alright now a little bit more of a break then we can keep going."

 

Hermione was more than ecstatic as she listened in on Draco's half of the call. They were in! They had done it! She was nearly bouncing where she stood in anticipation. As Draco hung up the phone and handed it back, Hermione sent a brief text to Harry explaining that they were closer than ever to cracking her parents memories before tossing her phone onto her beach bag. She was so excited at this turn of events that as she moved over to the bed she straddled him before leaning down to kiss him deeply. "You're amazing and this is amazing and I cannot thank you enough for helping me with this!" Each phrase was punctuated with a kiss before she once again kissed him deeply, moving to nibble on his lower lip and tangle her tongue with his once he admitted her entrance to his mouth.

Draco had closed his eyes while Hermione was putting her phone away and he started a little when she pounced on top of him and started to kiss him. He laughed and smiled kissing her back. "your welcome Hermione, I'm happy to help you with this." Draco kissed Hermione more and he let her put her tongue into his mouth his own playing with hers. It felt so surreal to him just days ago he'd been practically mortal enemies with this girl and now here he was, he'd gone skinny dipping with her had sex with her twice and made out numerous times and had even been allowed to use legilimency on her. He'd day dreamed about having sex with her more than once on boring days in classes where he'd been able to watch her from the back of the room without being noticed but he never thought he'd actually do it and none of what had happened in the past few days had he ever been able to dream of in his wildest thoughts yet here he was helping her to restore her parents memories and kissing her his hands on her hips keeping her from moving away.

 

Hermione continued to kiss him until they were both senseless. She pulled back because she needed to breathe, but she didn't get off him. Instead she shifted a bit before moving to trail kisses down to his neck, rubbing against him from where she straddled him with a mischievous smile. "I know you're happy to help... but I want to give you an extra special thank you...if you'll let me..."

When Hermione had stopped kissing his lips draco had to take a few deep breaths to try and pull himself out of the blissful fog he'd fallen into under her spell. he almost missed what shed said to him but he caught the last but and he smiled. "oh really? i wouldn't mind that." draco looked up at hermione where she was sitting over his hips and he had a nice view of her breasts under her shirt and he smiled at her.

 

The brunette witch smiled before shifting herself down a bit further. She held out her hand and wordlessly called for her wand, before tapping at his shirt and vanishing it. Hermione twirled her wand between her fingers for a moment before doing the same to her own shirt, and leaning down to kiss him once again, letting her naked chest rub against his. She tossed her wand onto the bed above them before her hands shifted to trail down his torso and back up again, light teasing touches while she twined her tongue with his and while her hips began to rock against his.

Draco watched Hermione and he enjoyed the momentary full view of her bare breasts before she lay down against his own naked chest and she let her fingers trail alluringly over his skin. Draco moaned feeling her hips rubbing against his and he moved against her enhancing the feeling as he kissed her again. his own hands moved up and trailed over the bare skin of her back and he moved one hand down to her butt giving it a firm squeeze.

 

Hermione moaned softly in their kiss before pulling back slightly, once again letting her lips trail down his neck. This time she dipped even further, kissing his chest while she shifted a bit further down his body. While she only partially knew what she was doing, she was curious to try this with him. While she first licked at one of his nipples, her hands idly began to unfasten his pants before tugging them down slightly. She would grab her wand to vanish them momentarily, but for now, she was having fun. 

Draco watched Hemione as she inched further down his body kissing and licking him as she went he could feel her hands fussing with his pants unbuttoning them slowly. It hadnt been very long since their last sexual encounter but draco was more than ready to go another round with this girl he had day dreamed of and hidden his crush on for so many years.

 

Hermione blushed a bit darker as she pulled him free from his pants, her hand wrapping around him as she peered up at him and chewed on her lip. "Just...let me know if I do something wrong... ok?" With that she ducked her head down and began to lick at his hardness. She got a taste for it, before she got a bit more serious, sucking at him gently while beginning to move her head up and down now. It didn't take long before her jaw began to get stiff, but she wanted to make him feel good, so she tried to ignore it and pressed on.

Dracos eyes closed as he felt Hermione's tongue against his length he moaned in pleasure as she started taking him in her mouth he opened his eyes and propped himself up slightly on one of his arms his other reaching down and curling into her thick hair helping to guide her a few times encouraging her to go further. He moaned more and he let himself lay back again his hand letting go of her hair but his fingertips staying on the top of her head. "Gods Hermione." Draco moaned getting close and he brushed his finger tips over her cheek. "Do you want it in your mouth doll?" Draco looked for her answer he was moments away from his release.

 

Hermione was glad that he guided her until she got the hang of it. She was kind of enjoying herself too, his pleasure giving her pleasure. As his fingers brushed over her cheek she peered up at him, his words finally registering. She released him with a wet pop before moving to wrap her fingers around him, finishing him off this way. She wasn't terribly sure if she wanted it in her mouth, but she also didn't want to completely disappoint him by stopping to think about it. She was sure he probably would have preferred it in her mouth, but not for this first time at least.

Draco felt Hermione pull her mouth off of him and wrap her hand around his length again. A few firm pulls from her hand and he moaned again his back arching slightly as he released his warm seed squirting up his stumach first then falling back down his shaft and onto Hermione's hand. Draco relaxed and he smiled down at Hermione pleased she was more adventurous then he'd thought it was a nice surprise. "that was really great Hermione thank you." Draco called his wand to himself and he cast a quick cleaning spell so they weren't both covered in his seed. Draco put his wand down next to Hermione's and he pulled her back up to him and he kissed her lips then rolled with her so she was under him and he smiled down at her his own mischievousness showing through.

 

The brunette blushed darkly as he spilled onto both his stomach and her hand, but she was fascinated by the reaction to her actions. She released him as he shifted and cleaned them. She had been about to shift to lay down next to him and cuddle when he adopted the same sort of mischievous look and shifted them so she was now under him. She swallowed and chewed on her lip lightly at the suddenness of the motions before calming down after a moment, moving to try to capture his lips once more. He didn't seem upset that she hadn't used her mouth to finish him, but she wasn't completely sure it had been alright. This was a learning experience for her after all."It was alright...?

Draco leaned in and he kissed Hermione's lips deeply his tongue slipping through his lips to make its way into her mouth and he tangled their tongues together his teeth catching her lower lip and gently biting it a few times before he pulled away from kissing her lips and he kissed her cheek next to her ear. He sat up over her and he smiled. "You were great." Draco reached up and he put his hand on Hermione's breast and he squeezed it gently before moving down her body he leaned in kissing her neck then her collar bone then her other breast. He caught he nipple in his mouth and he let his tongue swirl around it before biteing around it softly a couple of times then kissing it. 

 

As he leaned in and kissed her, the muggleborn witch kissed him back. Her tongue met and tangled with his up until he pulled back, and her eyes opened to meet his once more. Hermione blushed a bit, but smiled at his statement before moaning softly as his hand found her breast. Her eyes shut as he trailed his lips down and made contact with the other one, back arching up into his mouth and caresses as she released another breathy moan. Her fingers came up and tangled in his hair, idly stroking his head while he went to town on her chest.

Draco grinned up at Hermione and he shifted even lower his hands catching her own shorts and he unbuttoned them and unzipped them slowly. Before he caught the sides in his hands and he pulled them down off of her letting them fall to the floor. He moved so that he was between her legs and he leaned forward and he kissed her lips slowly his hand sliding up her thigh slowly as he kissed her. He smiled down at her. "You may be thankful for my help but I'm thankful you allowed me to come without that none of this would happen I think that deserves an appropriate thanks as well. What do you think?" Dracos fingers teased moving ever so slowly closer and closer to her.

 

The brunette lifted her hips as he moved to pull her shorts off, helping him as best she could without actually taking them off herself. She idly bit her lower lip as she watched him, somewhat nervously, before blushing as he shifted back up her body and met her lips. Her hands slid down his shoulders to grip his biceps while she kissed him back. As his fingers teased her by moving closer and closer to her wet center she couldn't help but whimper softly, her head falling back against the pillows as he played with her. "Draco...." Her voice was little more than a whine, her legs widening just a bit for him as if to say 'have at it already!'. Despite it all she couldn't help but give him a small nod, wanting him to continue and hoping that that was the right answer to his question in order for him to do so. While he wasn't her first, he was definitely, at least so far, the best she'd ever had, and she couldn't help but tremble in anticipation of what more was to come.

Draco leaned in and he kissed Hermione's lips again his fingers moving from her thigh go the inside of her leg. Then he pulled back from her he moved so he was in a better position to touch her and his fingers pushed past her outterlips and he slid them into her his thumb brushing over her sensitive clit as he moved his fingers expertly inside of her hitting the right spots to make her moan with enjoyment and to work on pushing her over her own edge.

 

Hermione's hands released him as he pulled back from her slightly, but she needed to grab hold of something. That ended up being the sheets as he worked her body towards climax. Her brown eyes were shut tight and her hips were moving against his hand, with each and every pass of his thumb over her nub she jerked up towards him and groaned. "Oh...so close....Draaaco...." She forced her eyes open to watch him momentarily, the sight of him between her legs fingering her definitely helping to move her towards her release. He sure did know what buttons to press with minimal effort.

Draco smiled and he leaned in and he kissed her hip bone once as she called his name in a moan. His fingers continued to work inside of her caressing her sensitive areas his thumb stimulating her until he'd finally pushed her completely over the edge.

 

As he finally pushed her over the edge with his fingers she couldn't help but cry out loudly and call his name, her eyes slamming shut. She floated blissfully for a moment, her body arched up towards him before she slumped back against the bed, and slowly reopened her eyes. "Wow..." One hand slowly came up from the bedding to reach out and tangle in his hair, gently stroking him as she smiled.

Draco smiled when he pushed Hermione over the edge he liked hearing her calling his name and when she'd settled down he pulled his fingers out of her and he crawled up laying down next to her enjoying the feeling of her fingers playing with his hair. "Did you like that Hermione?" Draco teased her as he leaned in and he kissed her lips deeply before he lay back down on the bed his head resting on the pillow he gently pulled Hermione over to lay against his chest cuddling.

 

Hermione smiled despite his teasing, affectionately smacking his hand gently before chastely kissing him and snuggling down. "Someone wants me to stroke their ego I see..." She let herself relax against him before smiling mischievously. "That was alright, I think you could have done better." She tried hard to keep a straight face, but she couldn't help but giggle before shaking her head and wrapping an arm around him, tossing one of her legs over his as well. "I did like it, it was amazing, seriously."

Draco smiled as Hermione joked with him. "Oh not good enough for the insatiable Hermione. Well next time I'll just have to lick you out." Draco nodded as she told him what she really thought. "That's good I'm glad that you enjoyed yourself." Draco kissed Hermione's lips again and he smiled. "You are so beautiful Hermione."

 

The brunette blushed at his statement, the idea of him licking her sending shivers down her spine. She squirmed a bit, before leaning up to give him another quick kiss in reply. "You're the one who's amazingly good looking Draco. I'm a little surprised you're interested in me, I'm not as pretty as you say I am..." She had always been overly critical of herself, but did not want to dwell on it at the moment. Deciding a change of subject was in order, she picked her head up momentarily so she could look down at him. "So what time do my parents want to meet today?"

"Your beautiful to me Hermione that's all that really matters." Draco kissed her cheek then frowned slightly at her question. "Well i don't think they were expecting to meet up today since they are working your father said Sunday after church so about one would probably be best for them. In the mean time we will work on trying to hone my ability so when we meet them i might be able to make some progress with them."

 

Hermione blinked at him curiously, before blushing lightly and moving to lay back down on his chest. "Right...I was testing you. Yeah...I guess you distracted me so thoroughly I forgot it wasn't today..." She idly began to trace her name on the skin of his chest with her finger lightly before glancing over to the clock on the nightstand next to the bed. "It's still early, and you've tired me out. What do you propose we do then?"

"well why don't we go on and take a short nap since we've worn ourselves out. Then i think we should really get some more research done." Draco pulled Hermione up close to him and he kissed her lips softly a few times before they both cuddled together and fell asleep. The next few days were filled with research and practicing they had ended up obviating Hermiones memory of the time Draco had been turned into a ferret and he used the obliviated memory as practice trying to strip away the magic that had blocked her memory. while he didnt havce much luck hermione could feel the block and that was at least a good sign that they would be able to prove that there were obliviated memories in her parents mind the question now was how to get to the memories. Dracos memory potion wasnt ready yet as it had to brew for at least seven to eight more hours before it would be ready.


	7. Draco Malfoy Hypnotist

Draco yawned and stretched it was Sunday morning. "good morning hermione ready to go see your parents and your little sister again?" draco looked down at hermione who had been curled up next to his side and he smiled at her he was more than ready to start working on her parents even if they werent going to get far it would be a good time for him to streach his mind exploring the minds of someone else.

Hermione was half aware of her surroundings, simply enjoying being cuddled up next to Draco. It took her a moment to really register that he had said anything to her, and she sleepily looked up at him to acknowledge him while his words registered. A brilliant smile overtook her features and she nodded her head excitedly, as if she were a child who had been promised a new toy that day. The curly haired witch sat up and stretched, much more comfortable in her skin to not truly mind much that she was naked. The brunette leaned over after she stretched and kissed the blonde briefly, before glancing at the clock in the room. "I really hope we'll be able to make good progress today..."

Draco kissed Hermione back and he smiled his eyes inadvertently as always being drawn down to her breasts if only for a moment. They had had a couple more sex filled evenings which had settled them into sleeping naked with each other and neither of them particularly minded since they had started to get to know each other on a more personal level and they didn't feel like enemies any more. "If I don't get anything else done today when I meet them I will at least convince them of the fact they have missing memories and that they have to meet with us again so we can work on restoring them. My memory potion won't be ready until tonight after we are finished with them if we can meet them again it might help to loosen the spell on their minds if I can get them to drink it.... That's going to be difficult to explain considering when it's finished its going to be baby blue and look a bit like spoiled milk." Draco sighed and shrugged. "So they will be home in an hour do we want to get ready to head over?"

She caught his gaze as it shifted down her person. It was both embarrassing and flattering to her that she could draw his attention so easily, but she was learning to let it go without comment. Nodding her head along with his statement, she smiled, before glancing over at him with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "We can always just confound them...it'll have to do. Effects will still work. Or, we'll figure something out. We're both bright magical folk." She flopped back onto the bed a moment, before leaning over and kissing him softly. "Since we only have an hour to get ready we should probably get up now and shower. Although...if I recall correctly my parents always prefer to eat right after church, so we really have like two hours to get ready." She was antsy about the upcoming meeting, but the brunette was forcing herself to remain calm as to not botch anything. Knowing this, it would probably be best for them to shower separately, even despite knowing they had extra time. They tended to distract each other after all.

 

Draco nodded and he closed his eyes and he lay back when Hermione flopped back onto the bed. "We will be just fine like you said we are bright and we have magic at our disposal." Draco smiled and he kissed Hermione back and nodded again when she said they should shower. "That would be a good idea." Draco opened his eyes and happened to glance down at his left arm and noticed that his concealment spells were starting to fade again. He hadn't given Hermione an opportunity to really see what his arm looked like he'd been hiding it from her since they arrived ashamed of the darkmark and embarrassed to show what he'd done to himself a few times trying to make it go away. Draco pulled the sheet up over his arm so it was covered and he rolled over and kissed Hermione back once. "Why don't you go shower first so you have time to tame your hair then I'll go when your finished alright?"

The brunette nodded her head, idly letting herself kiss him again for another few moments before moving to get out of bed. She grabbed her towel and wrapped it around herself before heading into the bathroom, turning on the water while she took care of her morning necessities. She too, had been letting her concealment drop in his presence, but with a quick mumble she had recast the glamour spells to hide her scar before hopping into the shower. 

The curly haired witch was fairly quick, emerging less than 10 minutes later with her towel still wrapped around her body but also one around her hair. She sat herself down on the foot of the bed and began to idly get dressed, knowing that the sooner she was dressed the sooner all temptation would be minuscule. "All yours Draco..." Once she had her underwear on Hermione dropped the towel around her hair, beginning the vigorous process of towel drying it before she attempted to brush it.

As soon as Hermione was out of the room Draco had taken his wand from the nightstand and he was recasting the spells that hid his scars he had more complicated spells to cast then Hermione because the darkmark had been designed so it couldn't be hidden only after much research had Draco been able to find a concealment spell strong enough to cover the evil scar. Draco put his wand back and lay down for less than two minutes when he'd finished the spells and Hermione had come back out of the shower. "Alright thanks Hermione." Draco got up and he picked his own towel up before walking over to Hermione giving her a quick kiss then he went to shower cleaning himself and doing the other things that needed to be done in the morning. He took a bit longer than Hermione but he walked out of the bathroom with the towl wrapped around his hips covering himself he pulled on his own underwear then ran his comb through his hair slicking it back so it wasn't in his face but made himself look very much like he had when they were in school. After getting his hair out of the way he started to dress. They'd finaly decided he should wear one of his darker grey black suits since he'd look more professional and he'd be more convincing if he looked like he was completely serious about his job.

To match his professional attire, Hermione had dressed herself in a modest knee length black pencil skirt with a white button down top, sleeves rolled up to the elbow. She had a blazer jacket to go with her ensemble, and by the time he was done in the shower she had gotten her hair under control and was idly messing around on her phone. She had debated calling down to get them breakfast, but decided against it. She figured once Draco was dressed and ready they would be able to grab something on the way. 

The brunette watched him as he emerged from the bathroom, before averting her gaze back to her phone, letting the game she had been playing draw her back in. It wasn't until she lost again and glanced up that she saw he was pretty much dressed that she idly turned the game off and laid her phone down on the bed next to where she was sitting. "Did you want to grab some coffee and a quick bite on our way over there or did you actually want to have a full breakfast?"

Draco finished getting dressed and he looked at Hermione when she asked him about what he wanted to do to eat. "I think I would prefer to have a full meal today so I have the energy to work on your parents without getting exhausted. If you want why don't you call room service and order something from the kitchen. Sausages an egg and some toast should do it for me." Draco smiled at Hermione and he thanked her before going back to the bathroom to shave put on his cologne and fix his hair so it was still out of his face but didn't look quite so reminiscent of their years in Hogwarts. he returned to the bedroom and pulled on a pair of socks then his shoes tieing them on he'd left his suit jacket hanging on the desk chair since it was still too early to pull it on.

Hermione did just as he suggested, ordering his breakfast and a light breakfast of some scrambled eggs and toast for herself. Plopping herself back down on the bed, the brunette witch went back to playing around on her phone, sending a few messages to Ginny and Harry and the like before simply laying there and shutting her eyes. She wasn't going to sleep, but she was simply trying to relax. She was nervous about today, and the closer it got to time to go the more anxious she was to get things started.

Draco sat down next to Hermione and he reached over and he touched her shoulder. "You doing alright Hermione?" Draco rubbed her shoulder and smiled at her. "You'll be alright. It will be alright today I know it will." Draco tried to help Hermione relax a bit so she wouldn't stress about seeing her family again.

The muggleborn witch peeked her eyes open when she felt his weight sink in on the bed next to her. She gave him a nervous smile, before nodding her head and moving to sit up. She shifted and let her head rest against him, letting her eyes shut once more as she leaned against him. It was comforting to have someone here with her. "I want to believe it will all be alright...worst case if we can't recover their memories maybe we can befriend them. Or I can convince them I'm a distant cousin or something..." She chewed on her lip, before letting out a deep breath. "It's just making me anxious...I want to just charge in and fix things magically but I know magic doesn't work that way...and this small childish part of me really wants it to..."

"If for any reason trying to restore their memories doesn't work. My mother taught me to alter memories. I thought it would be possible for me to make them think your their goddaughter." Draco stroked Hermione's back and he kissed her cheek. "I know this is probably going to sound ludicrous but as far as starting it might be a good idea to just have you try a powerful finite on them and see if it does anything to your spell as far as reversing the effects if a finite will work it would have to be done by you because your the one that cast the spell in the first place." There was a knock at the door and Draco got up and he came to the door and opened it and the room service brought in their breakfast and he had him put he food on the desk and he fished a tip out of his wallet and gave it to the man before holding the door open for him to leave then he closed it and smiled. "Well we should get eating. It might help settle your stumach a little bit."

"Thank you, I'd really appreciate that if nothing else works." When he mentioned her performing a finite she blinked, as if the thought had never occurred to her. That was such a basic idea...how had she not thought of it before? Clearly it couldn't be that simple, books would have mentioned it...right? What if nobody had tried it before though? It was giving her a headache. The brunette nodded her head towards the bellhop who brought their food, chewing on her lip as she continued to ponder his finite solution. She was quickly distracted by the food though. Now that she could smell the food, she was glad she had ordered sausage for herself as well. It would be no good for her to not eat, she had to eat a full meal. Snagging her plate of scrambled eggs and toast and sausage, she made herself comfortable and began to eat, slowly at first.

Draco took his own food and he settled down next to Hermione eating his own breakfasts bit quicker than she ate hers. Once again the hotel chef surprised him and the food was delicious and very filling. Draco finished his food at a modest pace and he put his plate back on the desk and he checked the time. They had half an hour before their meeting with Hermione's parents fortunately they only lived about twenty minutes away in a modestly sized house similar to what they had lived in when they were in England. "We should probably get going unless we plan on apparating to your parents house."

Hermione too ate at a leisurely pace. She finished the majority of her eggs and all her toast and sausage before glancing up at Draco and nodding. While apparating would surely be easier, she didn't want to. After quickly nodding her head in agreement she moved her plate to the stack with his before turning to grab her purse. "Apparating would be easier...but I'm so nervous I'm worried I'll splinch myself. Walking is safer." She grabbed her blazer and laid it over her arm, intending for now to carry it since it was surely warm outside. Taking a quick detour to the bathroom to brush her teeth and give herself one more solid look over, Hermione deemed herself ready to go. So while he did the same she cast the glamour spells on the room to hide the cauldron and other magical items of theirs just in case anyone disregarded the door sign and came in.

Draco got up and he pulled on his suit jacket he checked his wallet making sure he had what he would need before he tucked it away when Hermione was ready to leave he double checked the door hanger then closed the door behind them as they left the room. Draco held Hermione's hand as they left the hotel and started walking to Hermione's parents house which they had looked up the directions to the night before. They reached the street Hermione's parents lived on and he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "We have this Hermione it's going to work out." Draco rubbed Hermione's back for a second as they approached the house he double checked the address before Draco lead the way up to a house and he knocked on the door and waited for her parents to answer the door.

Hermione nodded her head at Draco, before moving to follow him from the room, her purse securely held on her arm. While he double checked the door hanger she finalized the wards before letting her wand drop in her purse and following after him. She squeezed his hand once he took hers in his and walked alongside him quietly as they headed towards her parents. She must have been getting obviously more tense and nervous the closer they got, for she found his touch reassuring along with his words. 

As he rang the doorbell the brunette stood there silently, arms clasped in front of her as she stood just behind her 'husband'. It was her mother who answered the door, and the woman gave the duo a friendly smile before ushering them inside. Being inside the new Granger family home, Hermione felt a stab of sadness, as it was so similar to her home growing up in England yet it was obviously different as well. She could see some similar nuances and it almost made tears spring to her eyes. Instead she took a quick breath and composed herself. "You have a lovely home, thank you for agreeing to meet with us."

Draco put on his most charming smile as Mrs. Granger opened the door. "Indeed thank you for opening your home to us." Draco entered the foyer and he glanced around for a moment before he turned back to Mrs. Granger. "Where would you like our session to be?" "That would be my husbands office, he's just out with our daughter in the back yard watching her play. If you want to go out to them Mrs. Malfoy the door is just there in the dinning room." Draco nodded and he let go of Hermione. "Go on darling and you can let Mr. Granger know I am ready to start the session at his leisure." Draco turned back to Mrs. Granger. "The office please." "This way." Mrs. Granger gave a moment of pause making sure that Hermione knew where she was going before leading Draco up the stairs and down a hall into an office with a nice chase lounge against one wall and a couple of padded chairs one behind the desk the other tucked into a corner next to the window behind it there was a large bookshelf that covered the entire wall floor to ceiling and every inch was filled with books on every manner of subject. So that was where Hermione got her bookishness. Draco paused in the room for a moment feeling it out for any trace magic before he nodded. "This will be just fine. Thank you." Draco took his suit jacket off and hung it up on the wall hanger next to the door. "I apologize but could I bother you to bring a few glasses and a pitcher of water up it will be good to have some here already once we start."

Hermione smiled at Draco before heading through the house towards the back door. She paused in the doorway momentarily, simply watching her father play with little Jean. Was this how he was with her when she was a child? It must have been, she couldn't remember too much from when she was around Jean's age but she definitely did remember her father playing outside with her at times. After shaking her head, Hermione stepped out onto the back porch and waited for a moment to say something so as not to startle her father. It seemed though that little Jean noticed her first. 

"Hermione Jean!" 

Jean ran back over to the stairs and grabbed Hermione's legs tightly in a hug, going on and on about how she was the best at tag. Mr. Granger came over a bit more slowly but with a warm smile on his face. 

"Seems my daughter has taken quite a shine to you Mrs. Malfoy. If you need anything while we're in the session please don't hesitate to come let us know. Jean has already eaten lunch, but you're more than welcome to have a snack if you'd like. She knows where her favorite games are and as long as you stay on the property you can continue to play outside here if you'd like." 

"Thank you sir. She'll be in good hands. I'm looking forward to playing some games with Jean. My husband is waiting upstairs in your office with your wife, he said he can start at your leisure. If anything happens I will be sure to let you know, you don't need to worry." Hermione chatted with her father for a moment longer before she watched him go inside and her attention returned to the child still babbling and hugging her legs. Squatting down to her level, she grinned and told the little girl she had a 5 second head start for another game of tag, and she watched little Jean take off with a squeal of laughter before she began to give chase.

Draco moved the chair from behind the desk and he placed it so it was just a couple of feet from the lounge he in the chair clearing his mind while Hermione's mother retrieved the water he'd requested and when she returned she placed the water on the desk and he thanked her. Her husband following a few moments afterwards. Draco stood up and he shook hands with Mr. Granger and smiled. "Good afternoon Mr. Granger, Thank you for allowing me into your home to work with you both today." Draco smiled charmingly at the man. "I appreciate your enthusiasm Mr. Malfoy. Before we begin could you tell us a bit more about this process." Draco nodded and he stepped to the side indicating for him to take a seat on the lounge. "Of course." Draco passed Hermione's father and he went to his suit coat and pulled his wand from where he'd had his wallet tucked inside and he returned sitting down in the chair infront of the two of them. "when I start I'll first put you into an altered state of mind by this motion." Draco held his wand firmly between his thumb and two of his fingers and he waved it side to side in a slow movement like a metronome stopping after a moment. "you will focus on the point of the wand and you'll find yourself in a dream like state. Once you enter your altered state of mind I'll say the word Legilimens and it will feel as if I've entered your mind it's essential you remain calm. I will guide you through your mind until we find the block on your memories and I will attempt to assess the damage and make some progress on recovering which ever memories are blocked. It can be an exhaustive process if you find yourself tired while I work focus on that thought and we will stop and take a breather." Draco recalled his thought with Hermione about having her try to end her spell with a finite and he considered for a moment how to proceed with that idea it was the simplest idea and would be easiest if it did actualy work but they couldn't blantently cast the spell while they were awake Draco was already pushing the international statute of secrecy to the edge by even showing them his wand let alone hypnotizing them and using magic to enter their minds. Draco recalled a spell of sleep he'd learned to cast wordlessly and he decided that he would use that spell on them and just hope that when Hermione tried to remove her obliviation that it wouldn't remove his spell. He did know when they woke up it would be like they had just blacked out for a moment. "and this is a completely safe process?" Draco nodded his head slowly as he cast the spell in silence waving his wand in a small motion in his lap. He sighed a little as they both fell into what looked like death. Draco stood up and he sighed a little bit before he walked down the stairs and out to where Hermione was stopping in the door frame until she noticed him and he waved her over.

Hermione was glad she had thought to wear flats with her business ensemble. Chasing little Jean around would have been killer in heels. She caught her younger sister with a smile before tweaking her on the nose and laughing along with her as she caught her breath. She noticed Draco motioning her over so she made her way to the porch. "Your dad told me you liked to play board games too...would you like to go get your favorite and we can play that now?" Hermione let Jean go and watched the little girl run off to her room to get her favorite games. That definitely bought them a few minutes before she came back. "Ready for me to try?"

Draco smiled watching little Jean go to her room. "Yah I put a bewitched sleep on them when they wake up they shouldn't even realize any time as past I kind of stopped us right in the middle of a conversation to help the illusion as long as they don't wake up." Draco walked with Hermione up to the office and he stopped her before she went to work on her parents. "Listen you should focus on the exact moment you were casting the spell over your parents remember how you did it. When your ready cast the full spell not just the finite. And try not to undo the sleep I've got them in." Draco smiled at Hermione his hand resting on her shoulder for a minute before he stepped back.

Hermione nodded and followed after Draco to the room her parents called an office. It was a rather ingenious idea to put them in a fixed sleep. As he paused in the entry and turned to her, she couldn't help but nod and clutch her purse tightly, before moving to pull out her wand. "What if Jean comes? Will you distract her while I am in there?" She bit her lip, looking at the shut door before down at her wand, doubts flooding her mind. "What if I mess things up more though...? I'm a bit scared of permanently messing things up..."

Draco put his arms around Hermione as she started to get scared. "It's ok Hermione don't be scared. It's just a finite your parents will be fine the worst it can do is wake them up. Try to calm yourself down breath. There is no guarantee this will work at all." Draco rubbed Hermione's arm up and down slowly. "Just think about how you cast the oblivion and think about it coming undone the same way. You can do it Hermione your the most powerful witch I've ever known. You can do anything you want you just need to think about it." The door to jeans room opened and she came out the the game she'd finaly chosen. "I'll go distract Jean I'll be right back." Draco left Hermione standing in the door way and he went out to Jean. "Where is Hermione?" "She wanted to talk to your parents it's just going to be a minute or two why don't you sit here on the stairs and wait for her alright or you can go down to your dinning room and set your game up." Draco had brought Jean down the stairs out of the line of sight of the office. "I'm going to go back to your parents ok just be a good girl and stay put alright Hermione will come back to play with you again in a few minutes." Draco left Jean on the stairs and he returned to Hermione to help her as much as he could.

Hermione took a deep breath, focusing on both the comfort that Draco's embrace gave her as well as the truth behind his words. He was right, she could do this. As he left to go attend to Jean, Hermione entered the room where her parents were sleeping in the chairs. She took another deep breath, before closing her eyes and raising her own wand. Looking deep for her center of magic, she remembered all the fear and pain and protectiveness as she had when she originally cast the obliviate charm. Focusing on that, and the memories she had stolen, she was silent another moment before in a soft clear voice, she stated "Finite incantum". The muggleborn felt the magic leave her, and she opened her eyes, first checking to make sure she didn't cancel Draco's sleep spell. Thankfully, she hadn't, but she did not know if her charm worked or not. She heard the door open and dropped her wand behind her slightly in case it was Jean, but she relaxed when she saw that it was merely Draco. "Jean is content?"

"She is waiting on the stairs for you." Draco walked over and he looked at her parents. "Did you do it?" He looked at her for an affirmation that she had and he looked back at her parents again. "They are still in the sleep. Why don't you go on and go back to playing with Jean and I'll wake them and if their memories are back they will probably wonder why I'm here if not I'll continue to work on them like we discussed." Draco walked over and he gave Hermione a soft kiss on her cheek. "I'll see you in a bit." Draco watched Hermione leave and he sat back down and he remembered where he had stopped their conversation and he breathed for a moment before releasing them from their sleep they both woke up and had just a second of vertigo. "Yes it is completely safe like I said the only side effect can be some exhaustion maybe a bit of light headed or wooziness. But nothing that won't pass with a bit of rest or a glass of water." Inside himself Draco was sighing with frustration that his most basic idea hadn't worked it had seemed so logical but then again magic wasn't always predictable and most believed that this magic was unbreakable. He would find a way though he was determined. Hermione's parents both shook their heads a little before rejoining the conversation.

Hermione nodded her head slowly, taking one last glance at her magically induced sleeping parents before leaving the room. She shut the door behind her, before moving almost mechanically downstairs to where she could hear Jean chattering. Taking a deep breath, she smiled as she walked in the room, before moving to excitedly chat with Jean as she reviewed the rules to the little girl's favorite game: Candyland. The irony was not lost on her; as a child she'd truly loved this game too, and her parents had hated playing it with her.

Draco finished talking about the process and he asked if they had anymore concerns and they decided they didn't. "Alright so I would like to start with Mr. Granger first since he already has a memory that is associated with the time that we belive is missing." Draco instructed Mrs. Granger to take a seat in the other chair in the room leaving the chaise lounge open for Draco to lay Mr. Granger down once he was hypnotized. Draco started first waving his wand side to side reminding mr. Granger to keep his eyes on the point and to let himself relax slowly Draco started to move his wand closer until he fell into the hypnotic unconciousness. Draco carefully lay him down on the seat and he stood over him. He took a breath and waved his wand in the correct motion as he cast the spell. "Legilimens." He was inside of Hermione's fathers mind he carefully settled himself back into his chair focusing he was gentle as he helped the man to call forth the memory of meeting a young Draco and his father. He watched the memory play through his father had insulted mr. Granger and over came mr. Weasely from across the book shop to save his muggle friends from the insults. The memory became fuzzy then he hit a wall when a shadow started to aproach the group he assumed it was Hermione but she'd done so well erasing herself from the memory they couldn't even see her. Draco used his skills to rewind the memory and he slowed it on when she first appeared. "Mr. Granger this memory we are looking at in the background there is a shadow I want you to focus on that shadow it's a person isn't it there behind the man with the pointed hat." Draco let Hermione's father take control of the memory searching for the shadow Draco was talking about he found it and nodded slowly. "I see it." His voice was more emotional scared. "It's alright it's just a memory. See if you can focus on that person and find out who it is." Draco helped to pull closer the shadow and he evaluated the texture of the memory there it was like it had been erased Hermione's father made an upset noise. "I can't it's not letting me see who it is." Draco nodded and he pulled them back to a scene in the memory with Draco his father and Mr. Weasely. "I know you remember me and my father do you remember the name of the man there how did you meet him." Draco had decided to take a more round about approach to trying to break down the wall he wanted to see if Hermione had left any soft spots in the memories that had been erased obviously something had happened here that had caused her not to be able to erase everything the only thing he could really think of was that she hadn't been there for this particular event until she showed up near the end and hadn't thought to erase the memory when she was erasing the rest of her life from existence for them.

While Draco continued on, Hermione was losing terribly at Candyland. Apparently if you were over the age of 5 you could not possibly win. That must be it, because she was losing terribly, and it wasn't just because she was nervous. "I WIN! Can we play again?? Hermione laughed a bit at her younger sister before nodding her head with a smile. Even if nothing changed, she was going to remain in contact and get to know her little sister. Maybe one day once she was old enough she would be able to help her with her parents memories. "Sure Jean, we can play as many times as you'd like. Maybe I'll win this one, better be careful!" Hermione stuck her tongue out playfully at the little girl before moving to reset the game and begin again.

Draco continued to question Hermione's father for another five minutes his memories of who people were seemed to be mostly Intact he couldn't remember what they did or what the school they were going to was called and he couldn't understand why everyone was wearing such different clothing. After a while Draco decided to try attacking the wall head on he followed the memory until he found the shadow of Hermione and he tried a few different methods to expose occlumensed memories but they didn't seem to be really having that much of an effect. He felt a very slight shift but it wasn't enough he was about to try one of the methods again when mr. Granger expressed a tiredness and so instead he released the man and woke him touching his forehead. Draco himself was certainly exhausted as well sweat rolling off his forehead one of his hands shaking from the effort it had taken to work inside of Hermione's fathers mind. He needed to rest so he wouldn't completely diminish his mental strength. "Thank you I think we've made some progress i need to rest for a little while before I try again." Draco stood up much too quickly and he fell down he'd exerted himself too much and he'd passed out just for a moment as soon as he'd hit the floor he'd woken and he had raised his hand to his head moved to sit up moaning a bit. He hadn't expected that.

Mrs. Granger watched what was happening earnestly. As soon as Mr. Malfoy declared a break she had been standing, rushing to his aid as he passed out. Cautiously kneeling next to him, she was turning his head towards her slightly so she could get a good look at his face. "Mr. Malfoy dear, are you alright? It must be bad if this happened. I'm going to go and get your wife..." Standing up, she instructed her husband to look after their guest before rushing from the room. She could hear her daughters laughter so she followed the sound, coming into the room just as Jean was winning the game. "Mrs. Malfoy? Your husband just had a bit of a spell and passed out momentarily..." 

Hermione didn't even have much of a chance to react to little Jean's second victory before her mother interrupted her. Almost immediately she had an apology on her lips for being too noisy when the words registered. Immediately getting to her feet, she smiled and thanked her mother for letting her know before rushing upstairs. "Draco! Are you ok? Do you want me to get you anything?"

Draco waved his hand a bit. "I'm alright I just stood too quickly." He tried to assure mrs. Granger he was alright. Then she went off to find Hermione and he lay back letting his hand rest on his forehead. When Hermione came up he opened his eyes and took her hand. "I'm alright dear. I just exerted myself more than I realized I had. I could use a glass of water. And I think we will need to stop for today I need to rest more than I anticipated." Draco shifted himself so he was sitting up and he leaned back against the chaise lounge thanking Hermione as she brought him a cup of water to drink.

Hermione nodded as she retrieved a glass of water from the room before handing it to him, idly brushing some of his hair aside from his face. She sat back after a moment and looked up at her father before peering back at Draco. "I take it the block in your memories was not something easily bypassed. How are you holding up sir?" 

Mr. Granger idly sipped on his own glass of water. He was tired too, but not as much as Draco. "It does seem like this is going to be much more challenging than we originally thought. We can try one more time another day...if your husband is up to one more attempt since I seem to be a difficult case."

Draco nodded a little when Hermione asked if the block was really so impassible. He sipped at the water not wanting to drink it too quickly as he listened to me. Granger talking to Hermione. "I would certainly like to try again I feel like I can help its just taking more skill than I'm used to using." Draco sat still drinking the water for a few more minutes before he finally breathed out and held his hand out for Hermione to take and he stood up. "Thank you for allowing us into your home we will call you again in a couple of days to set up another appointment." Hermione's father stood and he shook dracos hand. "Please let us call you a taxi to take you back to your hotel it's much to hot for you to walk back in your condition." Draco nodded his head. "Thank you we appreciate that." He let go of Hermione finaly finding his balance and he took his wand and tucked it back safely into his coat then they walked down to the living room and mr. Granger went to the kitchen to call a taxi and Draco found himself sitting again his eyes closed completely exhausted.

Hermione helped her faux husband head down the stairs as they settled into the living room. She could hear Jean cheering as it sounded like she had just won another game of candyland against her mother. Smiling, Hermione turned her attention to the blonde seated next to her once more. Brushing her fingers through his hair, she waited until she was sure the coast was clear. "We'll take the cab a block, then I'll apparate us back to the room and you can rest. I'm sorry this is so difficult...maybe we're in over our heads..."

Draco reached over and he took Hermione's hand as he told him her plan. "It's fine Hermione I just didn't realize how much effort it was going to take I need to move slower next time. When we get back to the hotel I'll just need to sleep for a few hours." Hermione's father returned, "a taxi should be by in a couple of minutes to get you both. I appreciate that you've been so willing to sacrifice the time from your honeymoon to come here and help us its very kind of both of you."

Hermione nodded her head, before smiling and thanking her father. "It's really no trouble at all. We both enjoy helping people. If we can help you recover missing memories then it makes our honeymoon much more rewarding." Hermione squeezed Draco's hand gently, before moving to stand and releasing his hand. She was just going to give Jean and her mother a quick goodbye, and she told him as much. Entering the kitchen, she smiled at her mother and Jean, before moving to squat down to give the little girl a hug. "Next time I see you I want a candyland rematch!" Hermione stood back up and chatted with her mother for a moment before she heard her father announce that the cab was here. Heading back over to Draco, she helped him from the house and into the cab. Instructing the driver that he merely had to go around the block, he was confused but did as told. Letting them out, Hermione paid for the brief trip before glancing around once he had driven away. Once she was sure there was nobody around, she apparated them back to the hotel room before plopping down on the bed. "C'mon, let's get you some rest Draco."

Draco said a breif goodbye to the family before Hermione helped him out to the car and he closed his eyes as the cabbie drove them around the block until Hermione had him stop he waited as she paid then he got out of the car with her help and he held her tightly as she apparated them away. Draco breathed a sigh of relief as he felt the cold air of their room on his skin. He pulled his suit off and cast a spell over it so it would fold itself up and then he climbed into the bed and put his wand on the night stand and he patted the spot next to him on the bed indicating he wanted Hermione to lay with him. "Come lay with me." He smiled as she curled up against him. "I really do think I made some progress today I felt a shift in your fathers mind while I was working I was going to try again but he had gotten tired I guess I really didn't realize how much energy I used keeping my concentration up." Draco put an arm around Hermione's stumach and he quickly passed out sleeping exhausted his body needing to replenish and rest.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late posts been a busy week.

Hermione was quick to change as well, casting a similar spell so her nicer attire would fold itself before pulling on a comfy t-shirt that was on top of her bag to wear over her underwear. Cuddling close, she idly let her fingers play with his hair while he napped. She shifted slightly once she was done toying with the soft strands, reaching out to summon one of her books over to her. She caught the flying missile, if only barely avoiding getting hit in the face with it, before she let herself get comfortable in his arms and began to read. It wasn't long after before she too fell asleep; the sound of his even breathing coupled with the stress of their attempt this morning getting to her too.

Draco slept for hours and hours not waking up until it was almost sun set. He yawned streaching and he got up finaly feeling much better than he had when he had left the Granger home with Hermione. Draco walked out of the bedroom and went to the bathroom and he took a long shower before going back out and finding Hermione. "Hey Hermione. It's pretty late. Do you want to go get some dinner or order in?"

 

The brunette witch didn't sleep nearly as long as her blonde companion, but she had been courteous and snuggled with him until he got up on his own. She did finish two more books in the time he slept though, as well as send a few emails out to Harry and the Weasleys. Once Draco got up, Hermione gave the trio back home a quick call, hanging up once she heard the shower turn off. Once he had emerged from the bathroom she approached, leaning up to give the handsome wizard a quick kiss before sneaking past him into the bathroom. Emerging moments later, she stretched before looking over at him. "Well, how are you feeling? You up to venturing out? We can order in if you're still feeling tired, rent a movie or something if we want to just relax."

Draco gave Hermione a breif kiss before she snuck into the bathroom and he walked to his backpack and pulled out some clothes to wear and he was dressing as she came out a white t-shirt and grey shorts a change from his usual black he glanced at his arm and the spells there seemed to be holding so he didn't need to worry about her seeing the darkmark. "I'm feeling much better I wouldn't mind finding a place to eat or maybe we could get some take away and just go relax on the beach and eat like a picnic. I think that would be nice I feel like we've been cooped up in this hotel room for the past couple of days working I'd like to go get some air."

 

Nodding her head, the brunette moved over to her bag and slid on a pair of dark denim shorts. The oversized gryffindor quidditch jersey she had been wearing kept her decent so she hadn't worried about that. She reached around her suitcase for a moment before pulling out a normal sized red t-shirt and exchanging it for what she was currently wearing. Turning towards him once she was decent, the muggleborn slid on her flip flops before smiling. "A picnic on the beach with takeaway sounds lovely. Hopefully we don't get in trouble on the beach this time..." She couldn't help but blush lightly as she recalled their last night beach trip. They better be good this time!

Draco laughed when Hermione mentioned that she hoped they wouldn't get into trouble on the beach again. "I didn't mind that it was fun enough to make getting into trouble worth it." Draco put on a pair of his own flip flops and he picked up a guide on the table with a list of the restaurants that were near by the hotel. "What are you in the mood for? I'm actualy thinking I'd like to have something Asian." Draco looked over at Hermione and he smiled seeing how attractive she looked.

 

"Well it was fun...but I could do without the getting caught..." Shifting slightly, she grabbed her charmed purse before nodding at his suggestion. "You've been in my head so much the past few days you know what I want already. Chinese takeaway sounds amazing right now. Oh, or maybe thai there's a thai place nearby?"

Draco flicked through the pages for a second before stopping on one. "It's a little far away but it's right next to the beach we could go down to the boardwalk and stroll over to it. If we are tired after our picnic we can alway just aparate back to the room." Draco made a quick note of where the address was and he put the little book back on the desk standing up he pulled on his own pair of flip flops and he also grabbed his wallet and wand from the bedside table. "Alright. Let's go." Draco opened the door to their room and held it open for Hermione the spells on the room were just as strong as they had been when they had left that morning and the door tag still indicated that they wanted their room to be left alone. Once Hermione was out of the room Draco closed the door and he took Hermione's had as they walked to the lift and went down to the lobby then left the hotel walking down the still bustling evening streets tward the board walk tward the Thai restaurant that he'd found.

 

Hermione smiled before linking their fingers and walking along with him. It was gorgeous outside, especially with the sun setting and there were a number of different people milling about. They walked along in relative silence, just enjoying each other's company. It was indeed a bit far, but it just made it that much sweeter when they did arrive. The brunette smiled as she perused the menu, before just deciding to stick with what she knew she enjoyed. "You have anything specific in mind? I usually stick with chicken pad thai..."

Draco was content as he walked with Hermione holding her hand he glanced over at her a few times as they walked. When they reached the restaurant he looked over the menu with her and sighed. "It's hard to choose. But I've always liked a good somewhat spicy shrimp or chicken curry." He nodded. "A curry for me." He waited for Hermione to make her final decision before he went to place their takeaway order getting a couple of spring rolls as an extra for them to share and he paid for the food and was told it would be a few minutes. He returned to Hermione's side and found a place to sit where they would be able to get their food when it was finished. "It's such a nice evening. It's been so hot the past few days I didn't think a place could get so hot."

 

Hermione made up her mind and let Draco order, also glad he had the forethought to order some spring rolls too. They were always delicious. Grabbing a seat in the waiting area, she waved him over once he had ordered before smiling and nodding. "I know! I'm really glad it cooled down, although it is supposed to rain soon so that might be why. I checked the weather earlier while you were napping." The brunette idly fiddled with her fingers a moment as she began to chew on her lower lip, a sure sign that something was on her mind. After a moment of debating how to broach the topic, she took a deep breath and just decided to go for it. "So I checked in earlier, and I know it may be awfully presumptuous of me, but it was an idea I had and I wanted to at least offer. Alright. Well, while you're over here I don't know if you'd want to check in with your mother at all? I mean, I know she wouldn't possibly have anything like a phone or email, but I can ask Harry if Kreacher could pop over one day and check on her. I mean I know she's probably perfectly fine, but since we're here ... I don't know it just seemed like I don't want you to neglect your family while you're helping me focus on mine. I'm sorry if I'm being a busybody, I didn't do anything... the idea just came to me and well yeah..." Finally finishing her rambling, she looked down at her lap, continuing to fiddle with her fingers as she gave him time to mull over what she'd rambled about.

Draco laughed a bit at Hermione's concern for his attention to his own family. "I'm sure she's just fine Hermione. When I found you in the book store before we came here I don't think I'd seen her in three months. I'm sure she's just fine but if you insist I have a perfectly fine method for getting into contact with her. There's no need to involve Kreacher." Draco frowned just a little he'd met Kreacher once and he'd been a thoroughly unpleasant elf to be around. "If you want we can contact her when we get back to the hotel if it's bothering you, me not telling her about this." A server came a couple moments later with their food orders packed away and in a paper bag Draco thanked the man taking the food and he stood and he took Hermione's hand and he left the restaurant with her and they walked a little ways back tward the hotel before finding a nice place to sit on the beach to eat their dinner together.

 

Jerking her head up from looking down at her lap upon hearing him laugh, Hermione resisted the urge to childishly stick out her tongue at him for making fun of her. She had opened her mouth to respond when the server delivered their food. Thanking him, she followed after Draco, her hand once again linking their fingers together, before they eventually stopped at a nice spot on the beach and began to unpack. Glancing around to see who might witness, she waited until she was sure the coast was clear to pull a blanket out of her purse. After the last time she wasn't taking any chances being caught without a large blanket again. Spreading it out and charming it to stay and not get sand atop it, she plopped down and began to unpack the food. "I wasn't suggesting you had to... it was more of an, if you wanted to. I'm not trying to make you... It was just a thought that occurred to me, that's all." The brunette huffed a bit before grabbing the iced tea that was her drink from the bag and opened her pad thai to let it cool. "Besides, your mother probably wouldn't approve of you alone in a foreign country with me anyway. At least in the manner we've been enjoying anyway."

Draco helped Hermione as they got everything settled into the beach then he sat down and he kicked his shoes off leaving them in the sand at the foot of the blanket. He opened up his own food also letting it cool for a minute before going to eat any. "I don't know i guess I'll talk to her it has been sort of bothering me that I left the country without telling her." He chuckled a bit as Hermione said they should omit their current physical relationship. "My mother thinks your a nice girl. She wouldn't mind that I'm here helping you with your parents.... Me shagging your brains out on an almost daily basis though. She'd probably loose it. That would need some finesse and some time to prepare her for that. I think an actual relationship would be needed first though before we disclose that information." Draco didn't want to admit it completely yet but he really wanted to be more than just friends with benefits but he wasn't sure if they were close enough yet to take that step to being boyfriend and girlfriend. He took his curry up and took a bite now that it had cooled and he closed his eyes as the flavors exploded over him. "Mmmmm this is amazing curry. Would you like to try some?" He held the container out to her as he offered to let her try some of his food.

 

At his accurate, yet crude statement, the brunette felt her cheeks color, but she didn't deny it. In fact, a funny thought popped into her head and she couldn't help but giggle as she reached for a spring roll. "You know, if only you'd discovered it sooner. Maybe that would have helped you finally beat me in a few classes... Although, I like to think that it's a mutual shagging of brains out now..." She took a small bite of the spring roll she'd stolen, cheeks even darker as she continued on the topic of sexual prowess, before moving to try her pad thai. It was also delicious, and she wordlessly held her container out for him to try some as she took a small bite. She wasn't terribly great with spicy, but she had to admit that his curry was delicious. "That is really good...If mine wasn't so good too I'd be jealous. You have to try the pad thai though, it's not as boldly flavored, but it's still delicious."

 

Draco smiled as he worked on eating his food and he laughed a bit at Hermione's thought. "Mutual shagging is nice it definitely blows my mind when you take over. I like it." Draco put his food down again for a minute as he thought about what she'd said about them in school. "Would you have had sex with me if I'd asked you when we were in school? I'll admit I thought about what it would be like more than a couple of times but I just couldn't even imagine you actually saying yes. And I had that reputation for hating you." Draco shook his head a bit. "Maybe if I'd had the courage to ask you things would have been very different." Dracos heart raced a bit admitting his crush on her even further. Draco smiled and he accepted her offer and he tried a bite of her pad thai its flavor was mellow in comparison to his curry but it was just as enjoyable. "It's very good. But I like the spicyness of mine." Draco snagged the other spring roll and he had lain back resting propped up on his elbow as he ate. He listened to the lapping of the waves and the slowing city he looked up at the sky seeing the stars he felt relaxed more than he had in a long time like nothing could hurt him or ruin how wonderfully things had been going for him.

 

Hermione blinked at his question, pausing eating as she put her food down. She half reclined, leaning back on her hands and turned her attention up to the sky momentarily as she well and truly thought about things. "To be completely honest, it would have probably depended on the timing and how you approached. You were a right git, enough so that I punched you in 3rd year. Honestly, we have enough in common, and there are enough factors that if you had apologized, or even said anything along the lines of me being nothing like 'my kind' was supposed to be as you were raised to believe...well, you may have been a git but you'd never really made me cry. Kids can be very cruel, especially when they have the taint of their parents beliefs shaping them." Picking up the half of her spring roll, she finished it off before taking another sip of her tea and gathering her thoughts again. She opened and shut her mouth a few times, as if trying to figure out the next point to start. 

"Besides, first year I was a swot. Ron was just as much of a git, and Harry was really my only friend, and that was only barely. Ron only got minimally better...you kind of just got used to him, but he had the ability to just get under my skin. It's easy to shake off taunts and mean things when someone doesn't claim to be your friend. Aside from that, you got a bit distracted come 6th year, and, forgive me if this sounds presumptuous, but you always tended to go for Harry and Ron first before picking on me. Not because I was an afterthought, but because you did at some point begrudgingly respect me in some ways. At least that's how I viewed it once I really got to thinking about it. We've all grown up, it's in the past. Things could have been different in many ways. The way things happened set the stage for what we're currently doing now, and there's not much point in mulling over how things could have been. Aside from the obvious, I mean you're a good looking bloke, I'm a teenage girl. You also had the reputation, and it was easy to hear stories about your prowess. While I know you would have had to work for it, I don't think it would have been as hard as you're probably thinking. Especially if it happened in 6th year." 

Blinking, she sheepishly smiled before taking another bite of her pad thai and covering it. She still had a little less than half left, but she was full enough for the moment. "Sorry, I do tend to ramble..."

Draco sighed as he thought about sixth year at Hogwarts. "Sixth year had to be my worst year. The whole time it was building up to Dumbledore's death. That was my task assigned by Voldemort. I didn't really want to do it but at the same time I thought I had some thing to prove to my family to my father. That I could be the son he dreamed about he was always disappointed with me for something. I thought if I could kill Dumbledore it would finally make him proud of me." Draco sighed breathing a bit before he continued. "It was just another disappointment. I failed so many times and Voldemort would hurt my family then me when I came home at our breaks. When I was finally face to face with Dumbledore I couldn't kill him. In my heart I could feel it was wrong and it held me back. Then Snape came and pushed me aside and did it himself. If I could have had you there without us being enemies it would have been the best thing to happen to me that year. I was so preoccupied though." Draco closed his food so it wouldn't spill and he lay back all the way his fingers tracing her lower back. "I'm glad that we are friends now I feel like now I can face the wizarding world back in London and they can't do anything to stop me from fixing my mistakes. You will never know how grateful I am to you for letting me make amends with you this way."

 

Hermione shifted and sat quietly while Draco had his moment of venting like she had. It was only after he had finished, and after he began to idly pet her lower back did she finally move to speak again. "You shouldn't let anyone try to stop you from fixing mistakes. I don't know how many of them I can say are truly your mistakes though... See, you may have seemed willing, but I'm educated. I know a few things about psychology, and the whole argument of nature versus nurture. You were taught to be a certain way, the fact that you're defying your nurturing to be good, which is in your nature deep down under your broody sarcasm and witty gitness, you're good." She giggled a bit at her playful insult, before shifting to lean over and give him a chaste peck. Sitting back up, she moved the leftovers of their food off to the side on the blanket before shifting and snuggling up next to him where he laid back on the blanket. "I have to say, I'm quite happy you wanted to make nice with me..."

Draco listened to Hermione's argument that his mistakes weren't really his fault. He nodded slowly and he smiled at her closing his eyes when she leaned in and kissed his cheek. He shifted a bit on the blanket as she moved their food and lay down next to him. He put an arm over Hermione's ribs and he lay on his side looking down at her "I'm glad that I did too." He reached up taking his arm off of her ribs and he stroked her cheek pushing a bit of her hair back behind her ear. He leaned in and he kissed her cheek softly before he rolled back onto his back and he looked at the sky. "This is really nice." Draco pulled his wand out and checked the time quickly. "It's midnight. That would be three in the morning in England."

 

As he settled down next to her and was looking at the sky Hermione smiled, before nodding her head to his assessment of time. "If you hadn't come with me what do you think you'd be doing right now? Sleeping? This is around the time I end up crawling into bed, usually up late reading or working on various projects." Turning her attention back to the sky, Hermione smiled as she attempted to identify a few constellations. While she didn't like divination, she did like astronomy, although it was more just for fun than anything else.

Draco nodded a little as Hermione asked if he would be asleep in London now if he hadn't come with her. "Yah probably continuing to waste away. Honestly this is the most productive thing I've done since I left azkaban. Besides moving out of my family's house." Draco shook his head and he scooted close to Hermione and he kissed her cheek softly then whispered. "It's too bad Australia is in the south if we were up north I could show you the constellation I'm named after." He moved so his head was leaned against Hermione's shoulder and he looked up at the stars too. "I hear that Australias so called outback is brilliant for looking at stars even better than the astronomy tower at Hogwarts. Maybe we should take a short trip out into it?" Draco couldn't imagine what it must look like the star gazing at Hogwarts was fabulous to try and imagine somewhere better was so difficult.

 

Hermione nodded in excitement at the idea of exploring a bit of the actual Australian outback, one of her hands coming up to play with his hair, her fingers trailing gently over his cheek and ear before beginning to stroke through his hair. "Not right the minute, but I definitely would love to check it out. Thankfully we have magic, because some creatures you hear about living in the outback sound terrifying...but I'd still like to go." Her eyes drifted shut a moment, and she yawned before opening them up again to scope out the stars once more. "You'll have to show me when we get back then, I'd like to see that. If you want to anyway..." Biting her lip, the brunette frowned as she wondered if it was too presumptuous of her to think they might continue to get together once they returned to England. Sure she hoped so, but that was also because she had grown attached to the smart blonde wizard rather quickly.

 

Draco smiled and he closed his eyes moaning softly as Hermione let her hand play with his hair. "It will be a while before I think it's safe to try working on your parents again so we can go out some time in the next few days if you like." Even though he was feeling hundreds of times better than he did right after he finished he knew it hadn't been long enough for his mind to fully recuperate. Draco opened his eyes and noticed Hermione yawn before she talked about being in England again and having him show her Draco the constellation. "I would like to do that. Now that we have a friendship I don't want to let it be limited to our trip to Australia. I would definitely like to continue being friends when we go back to England."

 

Nodding her head, Hermione kept moving her fingers through his hair as she smiled. "I was hoping that was the case, I just didn't want to assume. You'll probably end up having to tolerate Harry and Ron at some point then, so you know." The breeze rolling in from the water, despite the fact that they were further back, made her shiver, and she snuggled a bit closer to him, automatically seeking his body heat. "Shall we head back to the room before it gets any colder? I don't want either of us to get sick. Not only will that affect our mission, but also the trip to the outback. In the next few days sounds perfect to pop out there."

Draco nodded and he sighed a bit. "I still think it will be interesting to get back and actually face them. Hopefully we won't be so bad for too long and we will be able to get along for you. I know it wouldn't make you happy if all we do is fight or argue with one another." Draco wrapped his arms around Hermione as she curled up against him chilled by the night time breeze. "Of course." Draco rubbed Hermione's arm for a second warming her up before he let go and sat up and started to pack their food away in the bag they had been given then he put his shoes on and helped Hermione fold their blanket waiting for her to get it out away before walking with her off the beach. "Shall I apparate us back or do you want to walk?"

 

As she slipped her shoes on and stood, Hermione began to fold the blanket, thanking him when he finished packing the food and came to help. Putting it back in her bag, she walked off the beach with him before glancing around. Leaning in, she let herself press up against him while she wrapped her arms around her neck. "Well, if we hurry, we can probably keep up the 'shagging each other's brains out every night' portion of the trip. If we walk back I'll probably be too tired." Stretching on her tiptoes, the curly haired witch pressed a quick kiss to his chin before dropping back down to stand normally. "Your call Draco."

Draco laughed a bit and he blushed at Hermione's excuse for why they should apparate back to the hotel. He smiled down at her after she kissed his chin. "I can't argue with that logic." He leaned down and he kissed her on the lips softly before pulling away and leading her into an ally before he pulled her close and apparated them back to the hotel he let go of her and he went to the fridge and managed to fit all their food inside before he smiled back at Hermione and he walked back to the bed pulling off his t-shirt and letting it drop to the ground and he slipped out of his shoes as well before he sat on the edge of the bed watching Hermione.

Hermione couldn't help her giggle at his answer before following after him as he headed for the alley. Once he pulled her close, she shut her eyes, knowing the apparation was coming. It took her a moment once they got back in the room to get her bearings, but she was quick to move to put her bag down on the table by her other things. When she turned back around she watched Draco head over to the bed and pull off his shirt. The brunette smiled, but blushed a bit as she too decided to shed an article of clothing. Of course instead of her top she chose instead to slip her jean shorts off, tossing them on top of her suitcase before shifting to stand in front of him. She bit her lip, clearly debating something before she finally shifted forward, crawling into his lap and loosely wrapping her legs around him before leaning in to kiss him soundly on the lips.

Draco watched Hermione as she pushed her shorts off then tossed them onto her case before walking over to stand in front of him. He put his arms around her as she climbed into his lap and he reached up with one hand and he pushed his fingers into her hair pushing it back from her face as he leaned in and kissed her lips more passionately now that they were alone together his other hand slid down her back and it moved to her butt and he squeezed her behind through her knickers. Draco moved his hand out of her hair before sliding down her back stopping in the middle. Draco pulled away for a minute and he smiled at Hermione catching his breath and he moved both his hands down to the bottom of her shirt and he caught it and pulled it slowly up over her breasts then her over her head and off of her arms. He let the shirt drop off the side of the bed and fall on top of his and his fingers came back down to touch her now mostly bare skin.

 

As his warm hands slid across her body, even through her shirt, she felt tingles course up and down her spine. Her own hands came up to splay across his chest, her fingers fanned out widely as she stroked his skin, while she couldn't help but wiggle her butt a bit as he took hold of it and squeezed. She paused what she was doing though, once his hands shifted and caught the bottom of her shirt. As he raised it up, she brought her arms up, letting him pull it off and let it fall aside before her hands returned to his skin. Now that she was mostly bare, she could feel the heat from his hands as they moved across her skin and it made her smile. Wiggling a bit on his lap again, she leaned in to kiss him once more.

Draco liked the way it felt to have Hermione's hands splayed across his chest as they kissed and he pulled her closer kissing her lips deeply letting his mouth catch her lower lip between his teeth being gentle as he nibbled on her before going back to kissing her normally. Draco could feel an erection growing in his pants and he moaned as he felt Hermione rubbing her butt against it.

 

It was definitely a different sensation when someone else nibbled on her lower lip, and she liked it. She couldn't help the light moan that escaped, the sound swallowed up by his mouth, and she sought to return the favor, nibbling gently on his lower lip now. While doing that, her hands began to dance along his skin, dipping lower and lower down towards his abs before trailing back up to repeat the caress, each time trailing lower and lower until her fingers were brushing against his shorts now. She could feel him hardening and it made her feel proud that she was able to arouse him like so, so she kept on wiggling against him.

Draco moaned and he leaned back enjoying the caress of Hermione's fingers over his chest. He could feel himself throbbing and he moved his hands so he could slide them up her bare thighs before going back down and up again before he paused on her hips and he leaned in kissing her lips again deeply pulling away just slightly to whisper. "Are you going to keep teasing me or are we going to have sex already or not?" Draco grinned at her mischievously as he slid his fingers into the elastic of her knickers and slid his hands around behind her pushing his hand down until it touched her bare behind and he squeezed her firmly lifting her up some before letting her back down and removing his hands.

 

It was her turn to smile mischievously at him, before moving to get off him. Crawling a bit further back on the bed, she crooked a finger at him in a 'come hither' motion as she reached behind herself with one hand and unhooked her bra and tossed it aside. She sat on the bed now clad only in her panties, and it was clear those would be coming off momentarily. "I wasn't aware foreplay was teasing... Although...Someone's still a bit over dressed for my liking..." She stuck her tongue out at him before shifting her hips, her hands sliding her underwear off and tossing that aside as well. "Well?

Draco smiled watching Hermione crawl off his lap and move further onto the bed beckoning for him to come to her he stood up for a second laughing a bit as she complained about him being over dressed and he pulled the last of his own clothes off as well before he climbed onto the bed and he leaned in kissing her lips. "Foreplay is fine until it starts to restrict me." He was referring to his being over dressed. Draco reached over and he traced his fingers along Hermione's inner leg before teasing the mouth of her he inched up the bed kissing her lips deeply before he finally pushed his fingers into her touching her like he had before making her moan under his expert touch. He only did it for a couple of moments before he pulled out and put his hand on her hip pulling her close to him. He rolled onto his back and pulled her on top of him his lips never leaving her's as he kissed her deeply.

 

The brunette couldn't help but watch as he finished removing his pants, blushing as she did so. The bed dipped under his weight and she snapped back to attention, smiling as he shifted closer. When she felt his fingers begin to tease her her eyes fluttered shut, and without even consciously doing so her hips arched towards his probing fingers. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he kissed her again, almost hungrily responding to him as he teased her senses. She moaned loudly into his mouth as he used his skill to bring her so close before pulling away just as she was about to finish. She opened her eyes and mouth, about to let him have it when he pulled her over top of him as he laid back and slammed his lips on hers once more. 

She almost wasn't sure what to do while on top. Almost. She did know that she was close to finishing and that she wanted it. While she returned his kiss, her hand reached down to take hold of him and she stroked him a few times, making sure to use his secretions to help keep her hand lubed up. She toyed with him for a few minutes, alternating pressure of her hand and speed of the strokes before she shifted over him. Lining him up with herself, the muggleborn took it upon herself to impale herself on his length, breaking their kiss as she did so to throw her head back and moan at the feeling. It took her a moment to collect herself, but when she did she began to shift her hips, bouncing slightly on top of him. She propped herself up, using his chest to support her while she began to ride him, her chest bobbing as she moved. She secretly did want to be on top at some point, so she could check that off her bucket list now.

Dracos eyes closed as Hermione started stroking his length then gripped it more firmly and rubbed enticing him to let out a moan of enjoyment into their kiss. When Hermione stopped kissing him he opened his eyes and looked down watching her as she took his length inside of her his fingers reached down and touched her thighs moaning a bit as she rode him he bucked his hips with her own movements enhancing the feeling for both of them. After letting her have control for a while Draco pushed himself up and he kissed her lips his arms wrapping around her back he was still inside of her before rolled them over so he was on top again and he moaned the feeling of Hermione on him pushing him over the edge he thrust himself expertly to help push Hermione back over the edge as well.

 

She was starting to get a bit slower with her movements, opting to now just rock her hips a bit more before moving once again since she was getting tired. It was at that point that he surged up and wrapped his arms around her back. As he took control and rolled them over she was secretly applauding his timing. That was her last coherent thought as he began moving inside her once more, and she once again was brought back towards her peak quickly. As he reached his she cried out moments later, his release pushing on hers. It was as she was coming down that she let her head flop back, idly stroking his back as he caught his breath as well. "Well, I think we can count that one as another great night, wouldn't you agree?" Shifting, she snuggled up next to him, letting her eyes drift shut as she finished catching her breath.

Draco tried not to colapse directly on top of Hermione and instead he rolled off to one side pulling himself out of her but he wrapped his arms around her. "A fantastic night." Draco murmered and he leaned in and he kissed Hermione on her cheek and he smiled at her yawning now a bit exhausted himself from all of their physical exertion. Draco peeked over at the digital clock on the desk and sighed a bit it is as just a little past two. He rolled back over and cuddled happily with Hermione.

 

Snuggling with him contentedly, it was only a matter of time before she zonked out for the night. The next morning she woke up a bit disoriented, not having any idea what time it was. The room was still dark, but that didn't mean anything, as she knew they drew the curtains last night before leaving. Sleepily sitting up, the brunette yawned and glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. What she saw made her pout, before she shifted and snuggled back against him, hoping to get a bit more sleep. It was 9am, and she did not feel that it was necessary to get up that early today. Maybe in another hour or two, but not this early, especially since they had gone to sleep on the later side last night.


	9. Chapter 9

Draco was comfortable sleeping next to Hermione when she woke up he felt her move and he yawned a bit and streached waking as well. "Good morning beautiful." Draco reached over and he stroked her cheek before kissing her softly on the lips. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was nine. He did the math and figured that it was midnight now back in London. "It's midnight in London my mother might still be awake. I should call her like you suggested. You can keep resting if you like or we could take a quick shower before I call my mother." Draco stroked Hermione's cheek he could see she was still tired but he waited for her to make a choice.

 

Hermione cracked one eye open to look at him while still snuggling into her pillow. She did appear to be thinking about it though, shifting to lay on her back now and sleepily look up at the ceiling. "If we took a shower together it probably wouldn't end up being quick. If you want to, we could take a quick shower, but if your mom may end up going to bed and you do really want to talk to her I would probably recommend calling her now and then showering." She wasn't just saying that so she could get a bit more sleep, she was just being logical about it. The two of them were fairly notorious for taking longer showers, because getting clean usually ended up having them get even dirtier before they were done.

Draco smiled and nodded as Hermione reminded him of their habbit of having sex in the shower making their washing too long. "Alright I guess I should at least get dressed." Draco leaned over and he kissed Hermione on her lips softly. "Do you want your night clothes? Just incase you need to get up while I'm talking to my mother so your not naked. Not that I mind that but my mother might object." Draco climbed out of the bed and he started to pull on his underwear then pulling on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt so that he was dressed he ran his fingers through his hair before he went to his backpack and called out and oval shaped mirror that was a decent size and had a stand on the back he placed the mirror on the desk making sure Hermione was decent before he sat down and tapped on the mirrors surface a couple of times saying his mothers name. "Narcissa Malfoy, Narcissa Malfoy." The mirrors surface shimmered for a second before it seemed to connect and Draco could see his mothers bedroom. "Mother? Are you there?"

 

The brunette blinked, clearly having not even thought that through, before nodding. Getting dressed would probably be a good idea. She crawled out of bed and rummaged in her suitcase a moment before pulling on a pair of underwear and some shorts and one of her sleep shirts before crawling back into bed and pulling the covers up. She watched him curiously as he pulled out the mirror and began to speak. So that's how he was going to contact her. It was fascinating! 

Narcissa Malfoy was perched on her bed, reading, when she heard her sons voice. It brought a smile to her face, and she gracefully stood and moved over to her vanity. Seating herself in front of the mirror, the aristocratic Malfoy smiled. "Hello my son. Is everything alright? You usually pick more suitable hours for social calls." It wasn't that she didn't want to hear from her son, she did. She just wondered if him calling her at midnight meant there was something wrong.

Draco smiled as his mother moved into the sight of the mirror and sat down so he could talk to her. "I'm sorry mother I know it's late there. I just needed to talk to you about some things I've been doing since the last time I came home."

 

Narcissa Malfoy placed her book aside carefully, making sure to mark her page, before turning her attention fully to her son. His words gave her pause, and made her wonder however about where he might be. "You're calling to inform me you're doing a bit of traveling so I won't be worried if I don't see you for a little while, am I correct in guessing so? What things have you been doing to warrant travel?" 

Hermione stayed mostly out of sight in the background, trying not to be rude and completely eavesdrop on the conversation, but still impressed with the magic behind it. She laid back, letting her eyes drift shut as she contemplated just what kind of spell would have linked the two objects like that.

"Yes that's right." Draco smiled a bit his mother had always been good at seeing his reasons for doing certain things. "Well the day I came home I happened into Flourish and Blotts that morning. I met Hermione Granger there. We talked a little and she told me that she'd obliviated her family and made them move during the war. I told her I would help her find them and help try to restore their memories. We used a portkey the next morning to go to Australia. So now we are staying in a hotel while we work on finding a way to restore the lost memories." Draco waited to see what his mother would think of him being so far away working on something potentially impossible. With the muggleborn that had been tortured by his aunt Bellatrix. Who had helped Harry Potter end the war in their favor not the favor of the deatheaters.

 

If there was one thing Narcissa Malfoy was good at, it was keeping her poker face. So her true reaction to her son being across the country with the famous muggleborn who helped Harry Potter well, her son would never know. She merely nodded her head, adopting a look of what appeared to be borderline sympathy. "That poor girl, I do hope you're successful in your endeavors. I know she is said to be the brightest witch of your generation. I also know you're not terribly far behind her, or weren't in terms of grades son. If anyone can achieve this, I believe you two can. I do wish you had given me a bit more notice though. Knowing that I cannot simply call on you for tea or dinner does sadden me." Narcissa took the moment to truly look over her son. He looked a bit unkempt, possibly just having woke up. She tried to peer around him at the room but he was keeping it mostly concealed. "Is she there with you now Draco or are you alone in your room? You're comfortably accommodated as well, yes?" 

Hermione wasn't sure if she wanted to admit to being here, especially since his mother seemed to have the impression that they had separate rooms. So far it seemed like it was going well, and she wasn't freaking out at her son. However, you never knew who was watching in a situation like this. She may be saving her true feelings for the privacy of her own home, private call or not. Chewing on her lip, the curly haired muggleborn decided she was going to leave it up to her blonde companion to gently correct his mother on the actual facts of their trip, if it was even worth it.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you when I came home but I didn't want us to argue about it. I'm not sure when I will be home again but I will try to contact you more often it's just difficult with the time difference." Draco noticed his mother trying to peek into the room and he glanced back at Hermione for a second before shifting to block his mothers view more. "We are sharing the room. She booked the accommodations with the muggles weeks ago just for herself and they weren't able to make a change to the room with only a nights notice. But it's a perfectly sufficient room for what we need it for."

 

Narcissa Malfoy once again said nothing, however she did purse her lips together momentarily. "It is quite alright son. I do just wish you would try to contact me more often. I appreciate your call now though, it is getting late and I must retire. I hope to hear from you again in a couple days my son? Oh, do express my condolences about the foul business that has happened to Miss Granger, as well please son." 

Hermione smiled at Draco as he made eye contact with her momentarily before blocking the view. Thankfully he did that. She noticed how his mother was aiming to get off the mirror, before her jaw essentially dropped at the woman's next statement. Well, it was certainly bold. Hermione however preferred not to think of things of that nature and frowned, turning herself away idly at the reminder. She wasn't sure if it as thrown in there because Draco admitted he was sharing a room or because she actually meant it...and it bothered her a great bit.

Draco could see his mother didn't like what she was hearing even if she tried to put on a pleasent face. Draco nodded his head slowly when his mother asked him to call her again in a few days. "I'll see what time I can find mother. Good night." Draco could feel his mother subtlety reminding him that Hermione was a muggleborn, a trifle, hardly worth his time. "I will mother thank you. Rest well." Draco swiped his fingers over the surface of the mirror and it turned back into a plain mirror. He sighed standing and he put the mirror away in his backpack before he walked back over to Hermione. "I'm sorry my mother was rude bringing that up. Her way of reminding me not to be too involved with you because your a muggleborn." Draco sat down on the bed and he reached over and took Hermione's hand. "I'm not going to listen to her though it's my decision who I want to be with. And that would be you."

 

Hermione was unable to feign indifference the way his mother had been, so no matter how hard she tried she was still bothered by the matriarchs statement and was unable to hide it. Resisting the urge to say something childish, the brunette merely nodded at Draco, squeezing his hand momentarily before withdrawing. She should have let them go with his original plan, as now she wasn't quite in the mood for anything. "It's not like I really expected your mother to be excited you were here, especially with me...but she's more transparent than she thinks. Even I could tell that she doesn't think well of me." She sat up, before pulling her still covered legs up and wrapped her arms around her legs before resting her chin on top. 

"You know the Ministry is just like that. I could have gone on to be an Auror, or done something else right away...but they try to deny it but I can see the prejudice against me even though they hold me in high regard. It's ridiculous, laughable even. I can even say that usually it doesn't even bother me, I've grown so used to it the word mudblood means next to nothing to me." Twisting her arm lightly, she idly stared at her scar for a moment before turning her attention back to him. "Are you really sure you want to put up with that? The constant reminder that you're better than me? That you're ruining your bloodline, that it's all well and good to play in the mud but you clean yourself up afterward?"

 

Draco climbed further onto the bed close to Hermione he stretched one leg out in front of her and kept his other folded and pressed against his thigh he rubbed Hermione's back. He could see what his mother had said had upset Hermione more than he anticipated. Draco frowned as he listened to her describe how the Ministry of Magic viewed her even though she was one of the heros of the war. He reached up and stroked her head frowning more at her statements about their relationship. "Hermione I want to be with you. I don't care that it will destroy my family's blood status there are so few of us left its not healthy. My mother wants me to marry Astoria Greengrass. But I'm so closely related to all the English pureblood families it disgusts me, if we continue on this way our families will start to have more problems and it's already difficult enough for pureblood women to have children. My mother nearly died to have me." Draco took Hermione's hand. "I told you I've always had a crush on you. It's that crush that makes me want to be with you. It's not so easy for me to turn away from how I've been raised but if I'm to be with you, which is what I want, then I need to leave this notion of pureblood supremacy behind." Draco held Hermione's hand and he pulled her closer to his chest moving his leg so it was bent up instead of down and he moved himself a little bit as he pulled Hermione closer to his chest and he hugged her. "I love you Hermione and if you would let me I would love it even more if I could be your boyfriend."

 

As he shifted and pulled her closer into his arms, the brunette felt herself relaxing. It was ironic how as a child his presence was anything but relaxing, yet now she was comforted by it. His confession took her a bit by storm, not the fact that he wanted to be her boyfriend, some of the nuances she'd picked up led her to believe that. No, what threw her was his confession of love. She was silent a moment, contemplating everything. She couldn't say she returned his feelings to the same level, but she also didn't want to reject him because she did feel strongly for him, and in such a quick time frame too. It wasn't how she was used to feeling. 

"I'd really like for you to be my boyfriend Draco... I do care for you. Not as strongly as you do me it seems, but I do care. I believe that despite it all, I can easily love you." The muggleborn tilted her head back so she could look up at him, smiling shyly as she did. Shifting so it wasn't as awkward as a position, she ended up half kneeling in front of him. She pressed a quick kiss to his lips before sitting back down facing him now. "I'm sorry to be so negative, I just hadn't really dealt with anything before and all this going on with my parents and ....you didn't deserve to have me snap like that. Sorry."

 

Draco watched Hermione as she seemed to think about his request to be her boyfriend and she thought about his confession of loving her. He could tell she was thinking about her own feelings for him. He listened as she started speaking and he smiled down at her as she peeked up at him. He kissed her back after she shifted and he rubbed her arm slowly as she settled down on the bed again sitting in front of him. He looked down a bit when she apologized he stroked her cheek. "It's fine Hermione this has been difficult I can see that, you've taken on so much all at once. As far as my family goes you do deserve a bit of leeway to get upset or angry. My family hasn't been good to you and I know I haven't always been the best to you either."

 

"That tends to be what I do you know, take on way too many things at once and get a bit frazzled. To give you fair warning." She shifted again, before shaking her head. Despite what he may say, she didn't mean to get that upset about the whole situation. She'd actually expected his mother to be fairly negative, but it just hit her differently than she expected. She'd have to get used to tangling with snakes...and that thought almost made her shudder. After the whole Nagini incident she did hate actual snakes. Dealing with Slytherins wasn't anywhere near as bad. "You're being really good now, which is what counts. Let's just not dwell on it any longer, your mom will do what she wants and I'll deal with things as they come up. It could always be worse though." She was of course referring to his father. She would probably need to fear for her safety if he weren't in Azkaban, but she was a capable witch who still had wartime reflexes sadly. She'd get by in regular circumstances.

Draco nodded as Hermione said they shouldn't linger on the bad feelings that had been going on. "I'm sure I can handle your getting too involved we've been managing quite well at the moment. Although speaking with my mother did bring up a good question. How long have you got these accommodations for? I'm just curious if we will need to make new arrangements or if you were planning on going back to England when this is over." Draco yawned and he shifted on the bed streaching before he lay back down and watched Hermione from his pillow.

 

Hermione blinked, the question throwing her off guard momentarily. Holding out her hand, she summoned her phone to her. Opening the device to the calendar application, she made a face at it before leaning over to put it on the nightstand. "This room is booked for another 6 days. The longest this hotel would book was for 2 weeks, but I figured this was a good starting point and to better be safe than sorry. I had wanted to exhaust all my options in terms of retrieving my parents memories before going back home. England is my home, and whether or not my parents remember anything. For all I know if we get their memories restored they will want to stay here, continue living here." That was a whole other can of worms that Hermione had barely even opened, and she wasn't sure she really wanted to right now. Laying back down on the bed now too, she lay on her back staring at the ceiling.

"Well we can work on finding another place to stay once this reservation is over or see if they will rebook us this room for another two weeks." Draco rolled onto his side and he rubbed Hermione's arm seeing she was stressed. "It's alright Hermione. We will get it all figured out. Why don't we take that little trip into the outback so you can have a break then when we come back we will schedule another meeting with your parents."

 

Glancing at her blonde companion, no, boyfriend, Hermione tried to relax and tilted her head to look over at him. "Sounds good to me. Like a solid plan. Thank you, for being so supportive throughout this whole thing." She rolled onto her side and gave him another quick kiss before snuggling against him. "Can we just relax here for a bit longer though?"

Draco kissed Hermione back and he laughed a bit. "Of course I wasn't planning on us leaving right away. It's still too early to be up." Draco gently pulled Hermione close to him so she could rest against his own body and he hugged her. "I'd be useless if I couldn't help you keep yourself from getting too overwhelmed and I know how important this is to you I couldn't leave you to deal with this all alone." Draco rubbed Hermione's back in slow circles he couldn't help the smile that crawled across his lips as he thought about her and how she was his girlfriend now.

 

Sighing softly in contentment as he rubbed her back, she let herself drift off. She was still half conscious though, basking in the warmth of his embrace, and how good he smelled. "You know...you're proving to be a great boyfriend already..." She idly tugged at the t-shirt he was still wearing from when he called his mother. "Can you take this off please?" While the shirt was soft and comfy, she would much rather feel skin under her fingers, and she made it no secret. She didn't even think about the fact that she was still fully clothed as well, although if asked she'd match him for their lie-in until a more normal hour to be awake.

Draco reached up and he stroked the mess that was Hermione's hair and he sat up and pulled his T-shirt off at her request before laying back down and closing his eyes as she curled up against him again. He let his hand play with her hair idly as he drifted back off to sleep with Hermione. He woke up a couple of hours later his wand buzzing like an alarm on the bedside table he took the wand and hushed it and he lay on the bed trying to remember why he'd set an alarm and he finally remembered the potion he'd made for Hermione's parents. "Oh." He slipped out of the bed and he walked over to the potion and he lifted the lid and the room was suddenly flooded with the scent of lavender and he turned the burner off and stirred the potion for a minute and it shifted from a brown color to a light blue and he got a potion bottle out of his bag and ladled the potion into the bottle. It was more than enough for just the two of Hermione's parents when he finished he stoppered up the bottle and put it away with a label indicating it was for Hermione's parents and he cleaned the cauldron before putting everything away in its proper place in his backpack.

 

As he did as she asked Hermione smiled and almost immediately snuggled back up against him once he laid back down. She drifted off quickly, especially since he had already lulled her half to sleep with the impromptu back rub. While Hermione did not initially wake up for the alarm charm he had cast, she did however start to stir when she was shifted as he got up. The scent of lavender that started to reach her mind also spurred her into a bit more of a coherent state. She sat up slowly, rubbing at one eye while her other hand came up to cover her mouth as she yawned. "What are you doing? Oh...nevermind. 

She, for whatever reason, was having trouble processing things right now. It was as she was a bit more thoroughly awake, that she realized what it was he was doing. It never ceased to amaze her how comfortable she was in his presence, even in a strange environment, to go back to her usual wake up routine. During the war, she heard a noise and snapped to attention. When she was alone she still did that, but here, with Draco, she was much more relaxed. The curly haired witch nodded her head as she spotted the vial of light blue liquid where the cauldron used to be before simply moving to roll over and lay back down, figuring he would come lay back down at least for a few minutes with her. "Just five more minutes...please."

Dracos smiled a bit as he looked over his shoulder and saw Hermione starting to wake up from their nap. Once he'd finished everything he returned to the bed and crawled in behind her and he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her next to her ear whispering. "I'll hold you to that." He snuggled up close to her and he played with her hair again and he closed his eyes but worked not to fall asleep again after what felt like five minutes but was really more like fifteen Draco gently shook Hermione. "Why don't we go shower and get ready to leave this hotel. Otherwise we will never get out of here."

 

The brunette squirmed around in his arms so she was still curled against him but was looking over her shoulder at him. She leaned over and kissed him deeply, only pulling back when she needed air. "Five more minutes please?" She put on her best puppy dog pout (which in her opinion was probably not great considering she didn't make that face often at all, it was usually the boys who made that face at her) and snuggled into him even more, almost seeming like she was trying to use him as a blanket.

Draco kissed Hermione back when she planted her lips on his. He stroked her hair and shook his head a little when she asked to stay in bed just five more minutes. "It's already been almost twenty darling. Come on let's get up." Draco pulled away from Hermione even as she made her puppy face. "You can keep resting while I go shower but I'll wake you up when I get out. Unless you want to join me." Draco walked off leaving Hermione to make a decision about if she wanted to shower with him or on her own.

 

The curly haired witch frowned as he got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. She laid there another moment, debating whether she wanted to shower alone or with him before sighing loudly and throwing the blankets off. By the time she got into the bathroom with her towel he had already stripped and hopped in. She was quick to do the same, slipping into the shower behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist, pressing herself against his back momentarily before letting go. "You won, this time." She proceeded to reach over and grab her body wash before poking him to scoot over so she could get under the shower spray for a moment to wash.

Draco touched Hermione's hand as she climbed into the shower and hugged him from behind he pulled her back close to him when she urged him to move so she could wash and he leaned down kissing her lips deeply for a minute before he stepped back and started to lather himself up with a bar of soap. "It's not so terrible to get up and shower with me is it?" He teased her a little playfully.

 

Rolling her eyes at him, she lathered herself up once she had gotten herself wet before rinsing and moving to wet her hair. She didn't respond until she had thoroughly saturated the curly mess. Giving him a wink and a cheeky smile, she shrugged. "There are definitely many worse things than getting up from the warm and comfy bed to ogle each other shamelessly in the shower, while we get clean. At least I can enjoy the view, even if I'm now awake and all wet." She didn't realize exactly how else her words could be taken at first, but when she did she blushed.

Draco moved closer to Hermione pressing her back against the wall of the shower and he leaned down and he kissed her lips. When she talked about being wet he knew she meant because of the shower water but he couldn't help but playfully tease her for the phraseing. "Well you know we don't just have to shower if your so hot and bothered." Draco leaned in again and he kissed her just below her earlobe the bristles on his face from the night growth in his beard prickling her cheek.

 

Hermione blinked and gave a small shudder from the cold of the shower wall as Draco cornered her against the wall or the shower, blushing once he dipped his head down to kiss her before grinning down at her. She felt another shiver go down her spine as his facial hair tickled her cheek and as she felt his breath against her earlobe. This shiver was a good kind, and she shifted to wrap her arms around his neck. "Don't tease me prat. I'm not the most eloquent first thing in the morning..." With that said, she pulled him back down for another kiss.

Draco kissed Hermione's lips back and he pulled away again. "I'm only half teasing." Draco hugged Hermione close and he kissed her lips deeply and he stroked her cheek before he moved back into the warm water of the shower. "We should probably finish up so we can leave. I really want to get out of the city. So we can have a break from all the work we've been doing."

 

As he pulled away she ducked under the water quickly before moving back so he could rinse and she could lather up her hair. Nodding her head, now that she was starting to wake up she was beginning to feel excited about their trip. Hiking in the outback was going to be removed from her bucket list, and she was very excited for this. Scooting back under the stream to rinse the shampoo from her hair, she was quick to add conditioner before shifting to look at him again. "Do we want to order room service again or go out for breakfast?"

Draco washed his own hair taking turns with Hermione. "Why don't we order room service it will be easier than finding some place to go out. And I'm still pleasently surprised by how good the food is." Draco got out of the shower after he'd finished washing himself off. He dried himself off and wiped a hand towl over the mirror and he leaned in and frowned a bit at his beard scruff. "I need to remember to shave before we leave."

 

The brunette stuck her head out once he got out upon hearing his comment. "It's a bit odd to see you with facial hair. The little bit of scruff you have going makes you look a bit rugged. It's not bad. Only a bit itchy." She stuck her tongue out at him playfully before moving back into the shower fully to rinse the conditioner from her hair. Finishing with that, she shut off the water and moved to grab her own towels before putting her hair up in one and drying herself off with the other. "Would you like me to call it in while you shave? Did you know what you wanted?" She had no idea how long shaving took for him, having adopted the practice of magical hair removal as soon as she learned it existed and has never looked back since.

"Yah it feels weird to me. I always try to stay clean shaven. I don't think I'll grow a beard out until I'm eighty or so." He looked over at Hermione as she got out of the shower. He couldn't take his eyes off her as she asked if he wanted her to order for them. "Sure that sounds great. I'm thinking I'd like an omelet." Draco wrapped his towel around his waist before going into the room to dress he fished around his backpack and pulled out his underwear and some pants and he pulled the clothes on and his shaving kit then he returned to the bathroom to shave with his straight razor. Which he had learned to use from his father who had learned from his father and so on passed down from when their family had been close to muggles centuries before.

 

Hermione didn't notice his stare, or if she did she chose not to comment on it. She nodded at his order, before heading into the other room to call down to the kitchens. Ordering his omelette and scrambled eggs and sausage for herself, she plopped back down on the bed with her lotion and began with her arms, taking advantage of the time he was in the bathroom. By the time he had finished shaving she had gotten the majority of herself done, only having her legs and feet left. She liked to do this every so often, especially since they were going to be out in the sun for a good portion of the day. This and sunscreen would help her not burn. She had her towel loosely fastened around herself while she rubbed lotion into her legs. "Breakfast will be here in about a half an hour. Brunch rush today it seems."

Draco came back out of the bathroom a bit of tissue on his face in a couple of places he'd accidentally nicked himself with the razor he tucked his kit away in his bag before locating his wand and he picked the tissue off his face before healing the little cuts so it was like he had gotten a perfect shave. "That sounds fine it's enough time for us to get everything together." Draco looked over at Hermione and watched as she spread her lotion over her body for a minute before he turned back to his backpack and he opened it wide looking in and swearing at the mess. "Here is the problem with an undetectable extention charm. Inevitably your bag becomes an utter mess to the point where you can't find anything without using a fetching spell." Draco stood leaving the bag wide open and he waved his wand over the bag and the sounds of his bag straightening up started to come out and it wasn't entirely quiet there was a bit of crashing as items tried to arrange themselves nicely in his bag before he turned his attention to the room and he directed things like his books back into the pack as well. When he'd finished his things had all been put away even clothes he'd discarded across the floor of their room. He looked down at himself and realized he had forgotten a shirt and socks and shoes. "Whoops." He used a fetch spell to bring the shirt socks and boots he wanted out of the bag without disturbing all he'd fixed.

 

Hermione smiled at him and nodded in agreement as she finished with her legs. Leaning back on her hands, she had a few minutes to kill until they were dry and she could comfortably get dressed. "Sadly yes. Relatively quick fix, but it is still something that needs to be worked on." Now that he was out of the bathroom she took the chance to head in there with her wand and brush, about to attempt to tame her curly mane.

Draco finished getting dressed he was wearing a grey t-shirt brown cargo type pants and his black combat boots that he'd worn on the first day they had traveled to Australia. When he finished getting dressed he tausled his hair so it would dry naturally then he settled down onto the bed for a few minutes humming. He eventually got up and followed Hermione to the bathroom and he watched her trying to take her hair. "While we are gone perhaps we ought to let the room service come and turn down the room so it will be clean when we come back. What do you think?"

 

As Draco walked into the bathroom he would see her clad in her underwear while attempting to gently brush through her hair. Half had already been done and it was obvious, it was slightly poofier than the other half. She paused her pulling of the brush in her hair and let it hang there, her hair holding it steady before smiling at him. "Definitely a good idea. We need new towels, and all around the room could use a good cleaning." She returned to her arduous task and gave a small sound of victory once she had finished. Reaching for her wand, she cast a few quick spells, one of which seemed to tame her hair a bit and make it less poofy. Another to keep it somewhat detangled as the day went on. Now she just needed to get dressed. "I just hope I remembered to put my boots in my bag...transfigured shoes are usually not terribly comfortable, and since we plan to do a bit of hiking, well, yeah..." Slipping past him, she headed over to her bag and began to rummage through it, pulling out her own pants and socks before going back to digging. She was trying to be quick so when room service got here she would be dressed.

Draco watched Hermione as she fussed with her hair trying to tame it. "Quite the process you've got there." When hermione finished taming her hair Draco walked back with her to the bedroom and he sat at the foot of the bed watching her picking her clothes out and just as she started to get dressed there was a knock at the door. "Oh that's probably the room service go on and hop in the bathroom." Draco waited until Hermione was safely in the bathroom with the door shut before he opened the door and apologized for the hold up he let the man come in and put their meals on the desk and he gave him a tip thanking him before closing the door after he left he opened the door to the bathroom and smiled a bit. "He's gone now and our breakfast smells as good as usual."

 

Giving a quick nod to him, Hermione grabbed the clothes she did have and headed to the bathroom to get dressed. She pulled on her pants and socks in the bathroom, waiting for him to let her know the coast was clear. As soon as it was she emerged from the bathroom, smiling at the smells of their breakfast. "It sure does smell good. You go ahead and start eating, I'm just going to finish getting dressed really quickly." Squatting back down in front of her bag, she pulled out her own t-shirt, this one a pale pink, before pulling that on and moving towards the food now. She could deal with shoes once she'd eaten.

Draco walked over to the desk and he sat down delving into his omelette unsurprisingly it was delicious. He drank some of the orange juice that had also been brought and he smiled when Hermione settled down to eat her own breakfast with him. "So what do you want to see while we are in the outback?"

 

Hermione dug into her own scrambled eggs and sausage eagerly, appreciating how good this food was and how lucky they had been it was like this at the hotel. She finished chewing a bit as she pondered his question. Once she swallowed she took a sip of the other juice that had been delivered before she answered. "Well, there isn't any one particular thing. I kind of just want to experience it. It's said to be one of the most beautiful and most unforgiving places. Everything is supposed to be larger here, creature wise. Some of the animals here are some of the most dangerous in the world. Yet despite that fact it still seems safer in my head, however illogical that may be, than like the Amazon or up at one of the Poles. My dad would tell me stories about it when I was a little girl, it has always kind of been one of my dream places. It's why I picked Australia for them, because I knew my dad had always wanted to come here too..." She frowned a bit at the seriousness of her response, before smiling at him and resuming eating. It couldn't be helped now. She wasn't going to dwell on negatives today though. "Anything special you'd like to see?"

Draco reached over and he rubbed Hermione's back for a minute as she seemed to get a little upset about her response. "It's always seemed very interesting to me I've never really heard all that much about it though I've always just been surrounded by my family who's live in England forever and no ones ever really gone this far away at least no one I've ever known. I have heard of two places though I would like to see. One is called Kings Canyon and another is called Ayers Rock. Of course I've heard they have some interesting magical creatures too it will be interesting to see if we happen to encounter any. I'd rather not go looking for them though just because they could be quite dangerous."

 

Smiling, she nodded appropriately as he talked once more while she was just shy of inhaling her food. She was hungry. Finishing her last sausage link, the brunette laid her fork down and took a long drink of her juice before relaxing back into the chair. "Those sound like two good places to check out. I also agree, no looking for magical creatures. I'm sure we'll come across a few, as magic does tend to attract magic, but we won't go looking." She had to admit, it had been a few years since she had read anything on magical creatures that live in the outback, so it probably would have been smart of her to brush up on the subject before today. Oh well, she hadn't truly anticipated going this time around, so her lapse in judgement there could be excused. "Let me just grab my shoes and finish putting on sunscreen. You need some too, you're paler than I am." Standing, she moved back over to her bag and put on her socks, before finally giving up and summoning her boots from the recesses. They flew into her hands and she smiled before moving to slip on and begin lacing her hiking boots.

Draco finished his breakfast as well and he watched Hermione his brow furrowing when she said she needed to put on sunscreen and so did he. He thought for a moment trying to figure out what she was talking about. "Oh you mean that stuff that muggles use to protect their skin." He recalled seeing plenty of muggles on the beach using the stuff called sunscreen. "It's alright I don't need that I'll just use magic. How do you think I kept this complexion when we were in school and I was doing quiddich I was always out practicing in the sun but I never got sunburnt. I could cast the spell over you too so you don't need to take the time putting that stuff on your skin." Draco stood up and he took his wand in his hand and he cast the spell over himself and a light white light shimmered over his skin before vanishing and leaving him looking like nothing had happened although now the spell would protect him even from the harshest sun for the next day or so. He glanced over his arm and he noticed some of the spells were wearing off and he quickly recast them then picked up his backpack and waited for Hermione.

 

Blinking up at him as she finished lacing her boots, she grabbed her wand and transfigured her bag into a backpack before casting a similar spell to the one he had cast before to clean and tidy everything in the bag up. She then headed over to the small fridge in the room before pulling out two water bottles. She cast a quick charm on them so they would not only refill themselves but stay cool before moving to toss one to him. She figured that as a former quidditch player he would have the athletic ability to catch it. "Never would have thought of that, although I do remember you using it the other day. Alright, I'm ready to go. We apparating over there?"

Draco took the liberty of casting the spell over Hermione so her own fair skin was protected from the sun. Draco tucked his wand away in his wallet and caught the waterbottle Hermione tossed to him and he slipped it into a pocket on the side of his bag meant for waterbottles. "I think it might be easiest just to apparate that way we don't have to worry about other modes of transportation of course I've got my broom in my bag so we could always use that." Draco walked over to Hermione and he took her hands and he leaned down and he kissed her lips once softly before he let go of one of her hands. "How about kings canyon first then." He gave Hermione a second to agree before he disaperated them to a board walk which was dangerously close to the edge of the canyon he stepped back away from the edge holding Hermione's hand firmly so she wouldn't stumble. After she had regained her balance Draco walked forward to the railing and he looked out over the large oasis canyon with its river and waterfall moving through the center. Draco looked away from the canyon to see all the red rocks and sand that made up the Australian desert.


	10. Adventures in The Out-Back

Hermione smiled at her boyfriend as he cast the spell for skin protection on her before looking up at him. As he leaned down and kissed her she pressed up on her tiptoes to kiss him back chastely before holding onto him tightly as he moved to apparate them. She was a bit disoriented from the side along for a moment, and she let Draco pull her away from wherever he was pulling her until she was able to regain her bearings and look around. "Oh wow...it's hot but it's beautiful out here!" She hugged him tightly for a moment before releasing and gripping the railing as she looked down to the oasis below. "This is a beautiful spot, definitely glad you knew about it and wanted to come here."

 

"It is very beautiful. I've never seen anything like this it's so barren just outside of the canyon and then inside its so lush." Draco put his hand behind Hermione's back standing next to her watching the canyon he could see birds fluttering over the tree tops singing their songs. Draco took Hermione's had after a few minutes and he encouraged her to walk with him along the board walk so they could get a different view. "It's just breath taking Hermione I didn't think coming out here would feel this way it feels so refreshing like the things that happened in our past they don't matter at all its almost like they never mattered. Is it strange to feel this way?"

 

Hermione smiled and followed after Draco as he led her along with him along the board walk to take in the scenery. Nodding at his question, she continued to take in the beautiful scenery for a moment before responding to him. "Nature has a way of healing different wounds of the soul for different people. It is known to have healing effects on , which can explain the refreshing feelings we have. Now it isn't a guaranteed fix, but it definitely helps with relaxation and other stresses.." The boardwalk was sloping down the canyon and towards the oasis below, and Hermione was distracted by a group of birds that flew up out of the lush green below and up into the sky. Smiling at the carefree nature of the creatures flight, Hermione was curious to see what other life was down there, and it was she who began to tug him along to go faster.

Draco nodded listening to Hermione as she talked it seemed like she knew a little bit of everything. He saw the birds flying together as well and he slowed to watch them twirling in the sky and he laughed when Hermione pulled his hand urging him to go faster with her down into the canyon. The board walk turned to stairs and it carried them down to the base of the canyon with a few spots on the way down to stop and breath. At the bottom it was slightly cooler in the shade of the trees and the pathway lead through the trees to the edge of the river and tward the waterfall. As they walked they could see even more birds and some small animals around and there were fish in the river. "Even if it's not permanent its nice to feel so free of the troubles of daily life." 

 

Nodding her head, Hermione smiled and let go of his hand, making her way to the edge of the river to peer into the depths. It was clean water, as she could see through and see the bottom and all the fish swimming. Squatting down, she dipped her fingers of her left hand in the cool water, before standing back up. "I imagine this water is definitely nice and fresh and a good source of water should a normal hiker need it. Not that we do since I charmed our bottles to refill, but its still good to note just in case." Heading back towards him, she nodded her head eagerly to his assessment. Sometimes when things got bad, she had always wondered if she could just change her name and run away, but she never would, even if the thought was nice occasionally. "It really is. If only life didn't cause so many daily problems... have you ever thought of just going somewhere and starting fresh? Maybe using a pseudonym or fake name so you could live a life of leisure? I contemplated it after the war...but ultimately I'd get bored I think..."

"Well I did move to muggle London the last place I would have ever pictured myself a few years ago.. I would like to get back into the wizarding world but I know in Europe at least my family name is so well known I would never be able to just change my name and hide like your suggesting unless I moved to a non-european country and even then who knows the reach of Malfoy Inc. is quite large I'm not even sure to what extent the company goes." Draco shrugged and continued walking with Hermione approaching the end of the board walk a viewing point for the waterfall which sent mist over the boardwalk wetting the wood and the people who got under the spray. A small sign indicated the boardwalk could be slippery and warned people to take caution.

 

Nodding her head at his response, she gave a small smile. "That's going to be fun to deal with, the giant entity that is Malfoy Inc. I can't say I envy you there..." Walking along with him, she slowed her steps a bit as the water started to spray over the boardwalk, as to not slip. She continued to glance around, before smiling and pointing off the the left. On the edge of the shore there was a tree full of colorful birds. "Look at that! It's a rainbow lorikeet! They're one of the more colorful species of birds, and are very smart. They can mimic human speech very easily. I had heard Australia had pretty birds but I didn't know for sure just how many I'd actually get to see." Glancing around, she idly began to look for a way to get down to that portion of the area, but it appeared there was no man made path down there.

Draco nodded a little when she said she didn't envy him when it came to managing the company. "Fortunately my father hired someone to manage the company for us while he's in azkaban. I'll probably keep him on until I'm ready to take over my fathers position." Draco walked into the mist and stood there for a minute letting himself get wet before he was called over by Hermione to look at the birds. "Oh wow those are very colorful. We will have to see how many more birds we can see for you." Draco smiled putting his hand on her hip before she pulled away looking for a way down to the trees. Draco followed after her and he took her hand. "They probably just want people to stay on the boardwalk so we don't disturb the wildlife."

 

Hermione blinked, the thought honestly not even occurring to her. "That makes total sense...and I'm a little perturbed I never even thought of it." She shifted slightly, leaning into his side momentarily before moving back away. She wrinkled her brow, glancing up at her blonde boyfriend and stuck her tongue out. "You're all wet." She wasn't expecting him to be even remotely damp or wet when she leaned in, and it caught her by surprise. It wasn't a bad thing, just unexpected.

Draco went to wrap his arm around Hermione as she leaned in then she pulled away suddenly and he looked down at himself when she complained about him being wet. "It feels really good since it's so hot out. I'm sure by the time we go back to the top of the canyon I'll be completely dry." He looked back at Hermione then over at the waterfall. "I suppose you don't want to get your hair wet again after all the work you put into making it tame." Draco pushed a stray hair back behind her ear then he kept walking with her looking at the animals and counting how many different birds they saw.

 

"It is hot..." Glancing back at the spray from the falls, Hermione pondered a moment before shrugging and instead grabbing a hairband that she had the forethought to leave on her wrist. She paused walking and began to twist her hair into submission, getting it pulled up into a messy bun towards the top of her head that stayed (having magically fortified her hairbands sure helped). She furrowed her brow, sure it looked ridiculous, before shrugging. "Passable? As long as it doesn't look ridiculous..."

"You look fine sweetie." Draco smiled and he ran his fingertips over Hermione's cheek before he leaned in and he kissed her lips happy that they were finally together even if she didn't quite have the same love for him as he had for her he knew with time that could change and she could possibly love him too. "Do you want to keep hanging out around the canyon?" Draco started to walk with her again enjoying being in the canyon .

 

Blinking up at him as he leaned down, her eyes crossed as she watched him before they shut and she kissed him back briefly. Pulling back slightly, she glanced around, before turning back to him once more. "Let's explore a bit more. Maybe see if we can walk around a bit more in the wilderness, explore some more?" She liked the canyon they were in, she just wanted to explore a bit more before her ever abounding curiosity would be satisfied.

"That sounds just fine." Draco took Hermione's hand and he walked with her down the board walk it had a few different outcroppings that split off into different viewing areas and there was one that had a set of stairs that lead up the other side of the canyon with a hike labeled at the bottom it was a ten mile loop through the desert and along the canyons edge. They happened upon the sign after continuing to look at all of the fascinating wildlife and plants. "Do you want to go up and do some of this hike? I know it says ten miles but we could just do part of it if you want. It might be interesting to see some of the desert life as well so we can get a little comparison from what lives in the canyon oasis versus what lives everywhere else around here."

 

"We can do however much we're able. That sounds like a wonderful idea." Reaching out, the curly haired witch took hold of the blonde's hand, giving it a quick squeeze as they headed towards the stairs and began to climb. As they walked along she was silent, taking in the scenery around them and enjoying the peace that came with nature in its glory. She was also pondering nicknames. He had called her sweetie, which was fine, she did agree to be his girlfriend. It just made her wonder what pet name she would end up using on him. She could recall back in 6th year with the whole Won Won and Lav Lav disgusting debacle, so she at least knew that she wouldn't be that bad. Babe seemed too generic though, and she kind of hated that one. It was mere idle curiosity as they climbed the steps. As quickly as the thoughts were there they were gone again. At the top of the stairs she paused, looking out through the desert in front of them. "Think we'll come across any magical creatures in the desert?"

Draco could see Hermione's wheels turning obviously mulling something over as they started to walk up the stairs he decided not to bother her as she'd probably tell him if it was something important that they had forgotten. When they reached the top of the stairs Draco opened his water and took a long drink out of the cool water. "I don't know maybe we will have to keep an eye out for them I suppose. Who knows what's out there." Draco looked and the wooden path led a few yards in one direction before it switched into a beaten dirt trail lined with lengths of wood to show where the trail went. It continued following the side of the canyon for a mile before they found the beginning of the loop. The path following the canyon seeming to go on straight forever and the path into the desert seeming to be covered by a mirage. "Which way do you want to go Hermione?"

 

Nodding her head as he mentioned keeping an eye out, the muggle born agreed. Regardless of whether or not they ran into anything, they would definitely keep their eyes out. Pausing as she overlooked both paths, Hermione weighed the pros and cons. "If we didn't have magically refilling bottles of water I would say stick by the canyon. Since we do, we'd probably be ok heading into the desert. However, we'll probably find more animals closer to the canyon. Hm..." Tapping her finger on her chin, Hermione shrugged, before wagging her finger back and forth, idly humming something under her breath. Eeny meeny miny moe never failed her before. Stopping as her finger pointed towards the desert, she smiled. "Desert it is. Nursery rhymes come in handy occasionally after all."

Draco watched Hermione as she waved her finger back and forth humming an odd tune before she settled on a direction. "I don't think I'm familiar with that rhyme. How does it go?" They started walking along the path into the desert and dracos attention was drawn to how colorful some of the hardy cactus flowers were and how they seemed to be surrounded by the spiney plant along with different types of hardy shrubs like sage brush. Looking closely at the sand trails made by insects and snakes and small rodents could be seen.

 

Hermione smiled and took his hand in her own again as they began to walk along. She hadn't thought he had heard of that rhyme, but she'd been surprised by him before. She had no problem explaining. "Most muggle nursery rhymes tend to be a bit silly. This is one that is used to make decisions sometimes. It can be on the long side, so let me finish before you comment. Eeny, meeny, miny moe. Catch a tiger by the toe, if he hollers let him go. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. My mother told me, to pick the very best one, and you are not it." She couldn't help but notice that she had fallen into rhythm as she had started to say it, wagging her finger on the opposite hand along as she did so. "It kind of ends up being my fallback when I need to make a choice, and I've thought about the pros and cons and there really isn't much difference. I try to be logical before being impulsive...doesn't always work." Smiling again, she too turned to take in the scenery as they walked. She enjoyed seeing the pretty cacti in bloom, shifting closer to him when she would see any bit of serpent about in the sand. She wasn't the biggest snake fan, no pun intended.

Draco listened to Hermione as she started to recite the nursery rhyme to him and he raised his eyebrows at its odd lyrics. When she finished he nodded a little. "I see. It's definitely an odd way to make decisions. But if it gets the job done I guess it's not so bad." As they walked Draco noticed how Hermione seemed to cling to him when ever they passed a trail that indicated that a snake had been there. "I seem to remember reading something that said this country has some of the most poisonous snakes in the world not even magical or anything just regular snakes. We will definitely need to watch out so we don't get bitten. I'll be honest after everything that happened with Voldemort and his snake Nagini I've been pretty disgusted with and terrified of snakes." Draco shivered a bit as his mind drifted to some of his darker memories but he looked over at Hermione and he sighed a bit as they faded away again and he remembered how he was enjoying the wild with his new girlfriend.

Nodding her head, she could definitely empathize with him. Nagini was definitely one of the scariest things she had seen. "Yeah, definitely need to be careful of snakes. Although just in case I do carry anti-venom with me now... You can never be too careful. She was distracted again as they walked by a hissing sound to her right. Immediately she had her wand in her hand and had stunned the snake, not wanting to take any chances. "Maybe this wasn't the greatest idea..."

Draco squeezed Hermione's hand after she stunned the snake and he shook his head. "No it's a fine idea to be out here we just have to watch out. If one of us does get hurt we will just apparate back to the city." Draco put his arm behind Hermione's back and he continued walking with her. Draco looked up at the sun and it was starting to approach the horizon to set. "I wouldn't mind staying out here for the night I have a tent in my pack still if you want or I could apparate us back to the hotel if your not comfortable staying here."

 

Hermione glanced over at him, nodding after a moment. The longer the snake stayed stunned, the more she relaxed. As he led her away from the reptile she relaxed further, leaning into him as they walked. "No, you're right. We just need to be careful. I'm sorry." As he mentioned camping out here she blinked at him, before smiling. She hadn't gone camping for fun since long before the war, when she was a little girl. Despite the negative connotation that was now linked to it, the only way to really get over that was to go camping in better circumstances. "I don't think camping is a bad idea. We can...I will warn you though, I do sometimes have nightmares, and camping might cause some."

Draco touched Hermione's hair and he touched her cheek. "It's ok." Draco smiled a little as they walked. The sun aproaching the horizon. "Well we should find a spot to set up then if you do want to." Draco stopped taking Hermione's hands and he looked down at her. "It will be alright your not the only one who has nightmares some times." Draco pulled her close and hugged her leaning down and kissed her lips softly before he let go of her and he looked around where they were standing searching for a place for the tent.

 

Hermione smiled as he reassured her it was alright, still a bit skeptical but willing to believe that it really would be alright. She too began to glance around once he released her for a good spot to set up camp. "What about over there?" The brunette was pointing off to their right side. Over to the right was where the base of a large hill was, still covered in sand. She didn't really think that there was going to be much outside of sand unless they headed back towards the canyon however. At least at the base of a hill they would have a little bit of cover if need be. However she wasn't an expert at camping, so she knew there was a chance it wouldn't end up being a good place.

Draco looked where Hermione indicated and he shrugged. "Well there aren't any cactus so it looks as good as anywhere else I see. And we can lay on the hill and watch the stars. Just wait here a minute I'll get the tent set up." Draco picked his way through the bushes and the cacti to the hill. He took his backpack off and he stood off on one side of the sand and he opened his backpack wide. He used his wand and the tent came out of the backpack and started to set itself up a small tan triangle shaped tent. When it finished setting up Draco held his hand out for Hermione to come to him. "Come on Hermione."

 

The brunette watched him carefully, having been about to offer to help when he went off through the bushes towards the hill she had pointed to. Hermione followed behind him cautiously, not taking any chances with any snakes being nearby like before. She couldn't help but smile as she watched him so intently focused on what he was doing. When the tent had finished erecting itself she couldn't help but giggle as she approached where he stood with his hand held out. "Fancy wandwork there. She took his hand and stepped closer.

Draco smirked a bit and he nodded. "I've had a bit of practice with it." Draco turned and he looked at the sun that was finaly sinking down below the horizon the sky burning red. "Look at that." Draco pulled Hermione close to his chest wrapping his arms around her as they watched the sun setting the sky fading from the bright red to yellows and oranges until it shifted to purples and blues and the sun fell behind the horizon but the light still peirced over the horizon blocking the view of the stars. "That was really beautiful." Draco shivered and swore as suddenly it started to get very cold out now that the sun was gone and there were no clouds to keep the heat in it started to radiate away leaving them in a cold desert.

 

The curly haired witch let herself sink back into his arms with a content sigh as she turned her attention to the setting sun. They stood there watching in silence until it was fully set before shifting her attention back to him. She shivered, before snuggling back into his arms with a smile. "Well, we can build a fire and figure out what we want to do for dinner. Hopefully it won't be too much colder, but we'll make due and if we need to we can cast a warming charm."

"Let's go inside it will be a bit warmer there." Draco picked up his backpack before he walked over to the tent and walked inside. It had the same type of extending charm on it that the Weasleys tent had however the tent had a distinctly Malfoy style and charm resembling a little too close for comfort the Malfoy manor. "Sorry I haven't really changed anything in here I guess I should have." He looked back at Hermione hand he took her hand. "I can change it now if you want me to I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

 

Following behind Draco, Hermione walked inside the tent and took a moment to just take everything in. She did note the similarities to his ancestral home, but she shook her head at his suggestion. She reached forward and took his hand, before smiling and shaking her head at him. "I really appreciate the thoughtfulness, but it's ok. You don't have to. It's for a night, and it's not bad." While she wasn't lying about it not being bad, she couldn't be sure being in this environment wouldn't give her nightmares. However, she wasn't going to make her boyfriend change so many things for her. She was a big girl, she could handle it. If she couldn't, she would say something. "You're right, it is much warmer in here. Would you like me to put any wards up?"

Draco squeezed Hermione's hand gently. "If your sure." He walked further into the tent and used his wand to light a couple of oil lamps brightening up the main living room which had a couch and two arm chairs with a coffee table between them and a dinning table with seating. Off to one corner there was sort of a kitchen type set up with a wood stove that would help keep the tent warm. There were a pair of curtains separating the living areas from the bed rooms one of them had the Malfoy crest covering it and the other was just a swirling mixture of green and silver. Draco thought about Hermione's question of setting up any wards. "Maybe just something to repel muggles I don't really fancy one walking into my tent. If you've got a spell in that head of yours to repel snakes and spiders that would be great." Draco teased Hermione a little before he walked over to the silver and green curtains and he pulled them apart and tied them back revealing the bed room they would share. It actualy had a proper bed with blankets and pillows.

 

Nodding, Hermione cast the charm that would repel any muggles from this area. It was fun magic for her, not that she truly enjoyed those spells, but she understood the statute of secrecy was there for a reason. She stuck her tongue out at him at his snake/spider repellent comment, before shrugging and trying a disillusionment charm, thinking that might help as well. Once she was done she pocketed her wand once more, before letting her bag slip from her shoulders to land on the floor by the couch before following him over to the curtains hiding the bedroom. "Wow, you go all out. Wish we had a tent like this when we camped out, although it's probably better that we didn't. Still. This is nice. Very posh and sophisticated." It wasn't the decor that bothered her, because while she could guess it was similar to the manor, she mainly saw the one room, and that is the main room she needed to avoid. She was alright with most of the rest, even if she personally thought some of it was a bit gaudy and over the top. To each their own. "Don't suppose you've got the kitchen stocked in here, do you?"

"My father and I used to use it a lot when he would take me hunting. We ended up using it when we went on the run." Draco shrugged a little when Hermione asked if the kitchen was stocked. "I don't know." He walked over to a cabinet and opened it and a Cornish pixie fell out fat from eating the dry food that had been stored there. "What the hell?" The pixie rolled around on the floor disoriented before it finally started to regain awareness and started screeching like nails against a chalk board. Draco pulled his wand out and pointed it at the creature. "Stupefy." The spell hit and the pixie fell to the ground again this time making a quiet whistling noise like it had fallen asleep. "I don't know how that got in there." Draco looked at the cabinet and he sighed there was a huge mess all over the inside of the cabinet most of the packages had been ripped open and eaten by the pixie. "It doesn't really look like there is anything left we can eat in here." Draco cast the vanishing spell a few times removing the debris then removing empty packages until they were left with a can of sardines that was dented but not open and a few other spices and dry ingredients that couldn't be eaten on their own. "It looks like most everything got eaten by the pixie I have no idea how long it's been in there. But it certainly made itself at home." Draco glared down at it for a second a bit annoyed. "What should we do with it?"

 

Hermione blinked as the fat pixie rolled out of the cabinet once he opened it, before wincing as it started to shriek. As it was stupefied, she gave a small sigh, before moving to try to help him clean up. The brunette surveyed what was left before giggling a bit, and shrugging. "It could always be worse. Let's get this guy sealed in a cage and we can find somewhere proper to release it later. Then we can figure out what to do for dinner tonight." She pulled her wand back out and took hold of one of the empty boxes the pixie had emptied before transfiguring it into a small cage. She then levitated the stunned pixie into the cage before magically silencing it, and locking it. "There, temporary solution."

Draco closed the cabinet and he tried to think if he might have food anywhere else in his backpack. He shook his head deciding he probably didn't have anything suitable for a full mean he sighed. "We probably should have stopped by a grocery before coming out here. Why don't I pop into town and pick up some food that we could cook here? And for the next couple of days since we still have a couple other places we wanted to see. You could make yourself comfortable here while I'm gone."

 

Hermione pondered this a moment, before blushing lightly and smiling. "Sounds good to me, although I have to say I'm not the greatest cook. Cooking charms were never my forte, sadly. But, if you pick up the supplies I'm told I make a mean lasagna." She gestured over to the caged pixie before nodding. "I can also do some research about where to release this food eating freeloader." She glanced around momentarily before shifting to take a seat on the couch. She could make herself comfortable while he shopped if that was what he wanted. She was never the biggest shopping fan, even for groceries. But even the worst activities could be made better with the right company, which led her to offer: "Unless you want company?"

Draco smiled at Hermione and he shook his head when she offered to come with him. "I'll be fine on my own. This will surprise you but I actually like to cook quite a lot ever since I broke out on my own I had to learn i burnt a lot of food the first month or so but I got a cook book from one of my neighbors and ever since its come fairly naturally to me. I think I'll surprise you with something." Draco pulled his backpack on and he walked over and he kissed Hermione once on the lips. "See you in a little while."

He stepped back and disaperated to the street where their hotel was he remembered seeing a grocery as they had been on their way to the arcades. He started walking and soon found the grocery it was still open but almost completely empty considering the time nearly eleven thirty. Draco walked into the store and he paused off to one side for a minute pulling his backpack off one shoulder to summon one of the cook books he had. It flew into his hand and he pulled it out closing his backpack and putting it back on. He flipped to the recipe he thought Hermione would like and went about with a basket to gather the ingredients once he finished he also got the ingredients for Hermione's lasagna along with a couple of things for breakfast and lunch before he went to the register to pay for the food he had gotten.

 

She had to admit, she was a bit surprised. Returning his chaste kiss, Hermione watched him disapperate before she slumped back onto the couch. Grabbing her backpack, she opened it and accio'd a book to her hand and began to flip through it, looking for the section on cornish pixies. She quickly found what she was looking for, and with another point and flick of her wand, the pixie in the cage was gone; transported magically back home. Once that was taken care of she stood and began to further survey the surroundings in the tent. Thoroughly inspecting each of the rooms, she finally came to the bedroom and glanced around at the large plush looking bed and mattress. This tent gave 'glamping' a whole new field. She idly glanced over to the other set of curtains with the Malfoy M embroidered on them. She was debating peeking to see just what the patriarch of the family preferred, but she didn't want to overstep any boundaries.

After Draco had his groceries he stepped outside and carefully packed them away in his backpack before he apparated back to the tent where he had left from. He had been gone nearly an hour. "I picked up enough for the the next few days." Draco started pulling out the grocery bags and he put them on the coffee table they filled the table draco pulled out the ingredients for what he was planning on making for dinner he'd made this a few times for himself and didn't need the cook book to actualy make it he'd only used it to make sure he picked up the correct ingredients. He set aside a brown paper package of sea bass and the spices and started first by starting a fire in the stove giving it time to heat inside. Draco started prepairing a light salad humming as he cut lettuce and small tomatoes and a small carrot and he set off to the side then we to prepairing the fish he'd bought he made sure the bones were removed before he brushed it with a little olive oil then a dash of salt over the two halves he'd made then added rosemary when he finished he put the fish in a cast iron frying pan and he put it on top of the stove firming up the fishes skin for a little less than five minutes before he used his wand to open the mouth of the stove where the wood was meant to be placed he tamed the fire a bit before useing his wand to relocate the pan inside with the fire so it would finish cooking. He kept an intent eye on it not wanting the meat to burn after another five minutes he used his wand to take the pan out of the fire and he closed the door he relocated the fish to two plates and he waved his wand sending the plates of fish and the bowl of salad across the tent to the dinning table and he took a bottle of white wine out of one of the bags before he took Hermione's hand and smiled walking with her over to the dinning room table that was all set for them to have a lovely meal together Draco poured Hermione a glass of the wine before he poured himself one and he sat down across from her between them a small plate with slices of lemon sat for their fish and salad. "I hope you enjoy it." 

 

As Draco apparated back from shopping Hermione jumped, startled by his abrupt reappearance. She quickly relaxed though and settled in on the couch. "I banished the pixie, so that's one less thing to worry about." She watched him work carefully smiling and taking his hand and letting him lead her over to the dining room table. She looked down at the display, before looking back up at her boyfriend. "This looks and smells delicious, thank you for cooking for me." She reached out and took his hand for a moment before moving to pick up her wine glass, holding it out for him in a quick cheers. She took a sip, nodding in appreciation. He knew good wine, which was a plus. Eagerly, she picked up her fork and took a bite of the well prepared meal, her eyes lighting up at the delicious first bite. "Mmm!"

Draco smiled as he sat down across from Hermione and he raised his own glass letting the rim of his touch her's. "I'm glad you think it looks good." Draco watched Hermione as she took a bite of her fish and he was happy when she liked it. Draco started working on his own fish. "What do you think after dinner we can go out and look at the stars together."

 

The brunette nodded as she took another sip of her wine, before taking another small bite of the dinner he'd prepared. "Sounds like a good idea to me." Hermione let her attention shift back to eating until she had finished. The meal he'd prepared was delicious, and after they had been walking all day it hit the spot. She was content as she continued to sip at her wine now with her boyfriend. A thought occurred to her, and before she could talk herself out of saying it she let it out. "I hope you don't think you have to cook and ply me with wine to impress me. I mean, I don't need to be impressed like this by you. They're nice gestures, and I appreciate them, but I just wanted you to know that they aren't necessary to keep me around. You know I don't care about money. My feelings may not be as strong as yours but they are there." She wasn't trying to say he couldn't do nice things for her, just that he didn't have to think he had to do them all the time like this in order to keep her around. She just hoped she conveyed that well enough.

"I know I don't have to do this for you but I do it because I like to. I like to spoil you and I have the ability to do it." Draco watched Hermione across the table. "If you don't want me to do it though. I can stop." 

 

Hermione reached over and let her hand rest atop his on the table. She was blushing lightly, but she was smiling. "I appreciate it, and I'm not telling you to stop. I just wanted you to know that you don't have to. Stuff like this-" She paused talking a moment to gesture around the the tent and their surroundings. "it's all well and good, but I care more about spending time with you than all the fancy things in the world. I'm simple like that. I also do occasionally like being pampered, and if it makes you happy then by all means. I'm not trying to make you unhappy by saying you can't do something you want to do." She finished her glass of wine before sitting back. She hoped she hadn't offended him in any way. She didn't mind being pampered a bit, but she also was a very independent woman and didn't need to be pampered all the time. She just wanted to make sure he knew that, and it wouldn't be a problem.

"Well I've been told some of my habits are a bit archaic. So that might be part of it. I always learned to care for the woman I was with attentively so she'd be want for nothing. That's how my father always treated my mother taking care of things she needed and surprising her with gifts every so often or treating her to fancy dinners." Draco rolled his hand over and he took Hermione's hand and he smiled at her. "What can I say? It's inevitable that in some ways I would take after my father, our traditions aren't all bad some of them are good." Draco had finished his own food and he smiled picking up his wine glass and he finished it too before he stood up. "Let's go out and look at the stars." Draco summoned a woolen blanket to himself from his room and he caught it and walked outside to the hill and he shivered as it was cold out now. Draco spread the blanket out on the sandy hill and he sat down on the blanket and waited for a second for Hermione to join him before he lay down and looked at the sky.

 

Smiling, Hermione shook her head. No, not all of their traditions were bad. She followed his example and stood up, before trailing along behind him outside. She too shivered a bit at the change in temperature, before pausing while he laid out the blanket. Once it was done, she laid herself down and curled against his side. Now that she had settled, she pulled out her wand and cast a warming charm on the two of them so they wouldn't be too cold outside. She leaned in slightly and kissed him on the cheek before settling down against him and looking up at the sky. "Thank you for a lovely dinner Draco." 

Draco wrapped his arms around Hermione smiling glad she had enjoyed his cooking. "I'm glad that's one of my favorite things to cook because of how little time it takes." Draco looked up at the sky and his breath was taken away. "Look at them all Hermione I never knew there were so many." Draco lay there holding Hermione the spell keeping them warm and he marveled at how beautiful the stars looked and how many he could see.

 

Hermione smiled and turned her attention to the sky, nodding her head in agreement with him. Being so dark out here made so many more stars visible. It was truly breathtaking. She wasn't terribly familiar with any constellations, but she knew he was. "See any that you recognize?"

Draco shook his head when Hermione asked him if he recognized any of the constellations. "No unfortunately I'm not familiar with the southern constellations. But I'm just amazed by this never in my life could I have imagined so many of them and with a full moon." Draco continued to look at the stars and finally he did see a small constellation he did recognize. "Oh there is the southern cross that's one that I do recognize." Draco helped guide Hermione's eyes across the stars to the small constellation. They continued to lay looking at the stars for a while when a strange series of glowing objects appeared along the horizon and they seemed to be moving in the direction of them. "Hmm that's odd." Draco sat up straight to get a better look at what he was seeing and suddenly like magic their camp was being over taken by at least a dozen bouncing, rolling, and practically flying hoop snakes their tails captured in their mouths safe for the moment but Draco pulled out his wand and he pulled Hermione up to her feet standing as well. One of the snakes released its tail and hissed as Draco and started to slither toward him but he repelled it sending it soaring through the desert. "Don't let them bite you they are poisonous. Only as long as their tails are in their mouths they are harmless."

 

Hermione cuddled closer as she followed his gaze to the one he did recognize, simply enjoying his presence and the atmosphere. She had actually started to doze off when she felt him tense up and snapped to attention. Frowning at the glowing orbs that were making their way in their direction, the brunette grabbed her wand as well as her boyfriend helped her to stand. "What the...?" She frowned as one of the beings released its tail and hissed at Draco, but he beat her to repelling the creature. She shifted and glanced around. For the most part the snakes looked like they were just going places and the two of them were in their path. They only got hostile if they seemed to be in their path. None of the others were turning around as of yet. "Let's get back to the tent and we can ward it against them entering."

At Hermione's suggestion that they return to the tent Draco nodded and he retrieved the blanket from the ground bundling it up in his arms before he started moving back into the tent he repelled a couple more snakes that had released their tails when they had crossed in front of them but soon they were back in the tent and Draco looked back out at the snakes. "They are called hoop snakes. They usually aren't aggressive it's just during a full moon they glow and roll around they don't like it when something gets in their way I guess. Seeing as how they only uncoiled when one of us was in their path." Draco shook out the blanket sand falling before he folded it up and walked into the tent. "Why don't we get some sleep alright then tomorrow we can aparate to Ayers Rock."


	11. A Night in the Hospital

Following after him quickly, wand at the ready, she turned as soon as they were back in the tent and set another ward so none of the snake could follow them in, even accidentally. You couldn't be too careful. Her head cocked to the side slightly as she listened to him before shuddering. "Well, now we know not to cross their paths, and stay away from them in general. First magical creature of the outback seen. I think I'm good on that front." She followed him deeper into the tent, before nodding her head and stretching her arms above her head. That sounded like a great plan. Reaching for her backpack, she summoned her supplies before popping into the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. Once she was done, she emerged and let him in, before dropping that back into the bag and pulling out pjs before beginning to change.

Draco went to the bedroom and he got changed into his own night clothes a pair of loose pants and a long sleeved shirt since it was bound to get a bit colder in the tent despite its magical properties meant to keep it at a reasonable temperature. When Hermione was finished with the bathroom Draco went in and he finished getting ready for sleep before he went around the tent putting out the lanterns before he returned to the bedroom the last lantern sitting on a table next to the bed. Draco climbed into the bed and he stretched yawning. "I've had a really nice time today I'm glad that we were able to do this together Hermione." He smiled at her when she finally climbed into the bed with him and he leaned over and gently kissed her cheek before he rolled over to turn the lamp off.

 

Hermione had pulled on a pair of flannel pj pants that hung precariously low on her hips and a tank top before climbing into the bed, tucking herself under the covers as she watched him go about shutting all the lamps off. As he crawled into bed after stretching and kissed her on the cheek she smiled, before leaning over to press herself snugly against his back as he turned to shut off the last light. She knew the warming charm would at least keep the frigid air from the tent for a bit, but she knew it was going to get cold and fast. Her arms came around to idly stroke at his soft shirt as she threw a leg over top of his, claiming him. "You're perfect to cuddle against. Who needs a body pillow or a teddy bear when I have my Draco?"

Draco couldn't help but smile as Hermione curled up against him. He rolled back over laughing at how she was stroking his chest. He put his arms around her pulling her closer so she could lay on his chest. "Well I'm glad to be so comfortable for you." Draco kissed Hermione cheek and he stroked her back before he started to kiss her lips.

 

She loosened her grip and let him roll over before snuggling up to him with a soft sigh. As she felt lips on her cheek, she tilted her head, her lips meeting his while he stroked up and down her back. Since they were laying on their sides she let one of her hands trail along his side, first over the shirt and then she slipped her hand underneath his shirt to feel warm skin against her fingertips while she continued to kiss him back.

Dracos kissing slowly became more passionate and he slid his own hand under her tank top his other hand moving across her cheek and into her hair cupping the back of her head and holding her close as his finger trailed along her spine feeling her soft skin. After a few minutes of kissing and holding Hermione Draco pulled away and he unbuttoned his shirt and shed it letting it fall off the bed then he returned to holding Hermione close to him kissing her cheeks and her lips over and over but softly.

 

As his hand slid up her tank top Hermione arched closer to him. The feeling of his warm hand on her bare skin sent tingles through her. It was when he pulled away that she gave a little whine, before opening her eyes and watching him pull his shirt off. As he tossed it aside and pulled her close once more she let her eyelids flutter again, her hands returning to his now bare upper body as she trailed along his skin. As he began to pepper her cheeks and lips with soft kisses the brunette felt herself melt further into his embrace. He had this way of making her feel so loved, it was amazing. She couldn't help a breathy little sigh that escaped as his warm hand once again resumed stroking her back under her tank top. It was beginning to get annoying that she still had it on, but not annoying enough to stop them both just to take it off.

Draco kissed down Hermione's cheek and down to her neck and he paused and he caught his hands on Hermione's tank top and he pulled it off of her dropping it on top of his own shirt and he brought his hands back down and he traced up her sides and he hugged her close kissing her cheek again before moving to her lips again. Draco smiled at Hermione and he pushed some of her hair back. His other hand traced back up and down her back slowly again brushing over her butt a few times.

 

As he tugged her tank top up and off she had obediently released him so he could pull it off her arms, but the minute he had finished her hands were back on his skin. She let her hands trail up along his arms and shoulders, before trailing down his back and teasingly low along his abdomen before trailing up his chest again. As she felt his hands along her bottom she couldn't help but wiggle it a bit, before pressing herself against his clothed lower half and throwing one of her own covered legs over his hips.

Draco leaned up a bit and he kissed Hermione's collarbone as she moved so she was straddling him and his hand squeezed her butt and he lay back and smiled seeing her exposed breasts over him and he reached up with one hand and he squeezed her breasts one at a time. His other hand rested on her hip.

 

Hermione let her hips press against his as she straddled him, giving an appreciative noise when his hand found her breasts. Her own hands shifted and she used one to help prop herself up above him while the other tangled in his hair as he kissed at her neck, encouraging him to continue.

Draco didn't slow as Hermione encuraged him to continue to kiss her neck and he also moved his other hand up to her breasts as well and he kneaded them in his hands. He moved from kissing her neck to gently biting her and he moved his hands down from her breasts and he slid them down her sides and he tugged at her pants and underwear moving his mouth back to kiss her lips deeply.

 

She groaned, the sound getting lost in his mouth as he left her neck and began to kiss her. Her tongue came out to tangle with his and she shifted atop him, attempting to help him pull both her flannel pants and panties off. It wasn't easy, but she was able to get them off with his help, kicking them aside with the rest of their clothing. Now naked, she shifted and with a few tugs she had them flipped, pulling him atop of her and tugging on his pants now.

Draco grinned when he ended up on top after Hermione had relived herself of the last of her clothes and she now lay before him completely naked. Draco pushed his own pants and boxers off moving so he was over Hermione like he was about to do a push up until he had finaly kicked his pants totally off and he spread Hermione's legs out so they were around his waist and he leaned in and he started kissing his way up Hermione's smooth stumach to her breasts pausing to gently bite the sides of them before continuing up her neck and back to her lips kissing her again as passionately as he had before and his member brushed against her one of his hands stayed up close to her shoulder supporting his body but he moved down with the other to push his fingers into her and he stroked her just a couple of times before pulling his hand out and he pushed himself into her and he started to push himself into her slowly his hand taking hold of her hip as he moved into her.

 

She wrapped her legs around his waist as he prompted them there and rubbed her hips against his hard cock as he kissed his way up her body. She moaned as he nipped at her breasts before trailing his lips back to hers. She almost hungrily kissed him back, her hands gripping his shoulders as his fingers began to pump inside her. Seeing that she was clearly ready, he shifted and she moaned loudly in their kiss as he began to thrust inside her. Her hips began to rock in time with his and she couldn't help but squeeze his shoulders as she enjoyed the ride.

Draco kissed Hermione pushing his tounge into her mouth to play with hers as he started to thrust harder into her he was steady and his hand was firm on her hip as he thrust himself into her pussy his other hand moved from the bed to her breast and he squeezed it firmly his finger tips playing with her nipples.

 

With each hard, steady thrust Hermione felt herself climbing higher and higher towards ecstasy. As his hand came to rest on her hip, holding her steady she groaned, as he was now hitting that sweet spot repeatedly and holding her still so she couldn't move. His hand on her breast was the final distraction she needed, her head falling back as she broke their kiss. Her eyes were shut, and the brunette was panting as she moaned her boyfriends name as he played her body expertly, bringing her up higher and higher to orgasm.

Draco thrust himself into Hermione and he moaned as she started to orgasm and he continued to push himself in and out of her legs keeping his hand tight on her hip until he himself felt release as soon as they had both finished peaking Draco moaned and he relaxed letting go of Hermione's hip and he lay down and held Hermione close to his chest panting a bit from exertion. "That was great Hermione." Draco smiled at Hermione satisfied before he leaned in and softly kissed her lips again.

 

The curly haired witch panted as she tried to catch her breath in the aftermath of that wonderful experience. When she was able to regain some of her basic motor functions and higher thought processes she tilted her head and kissed him back. A delayed reaction was better than none. She was content to snuggle with him in the afterglow when a thought struck her and she was immediately aware. Stiffening in his arms, she frowned. "Draco, we forgot the contraceptive spell! Can you grab my wand, or yours? I can't remember how soon after we have to do it..." She wasn't all knowing, although she knew that she should know how far after sex one had to perform the spell. Better to be safe than sorry. "I'd get up...but my legs are like jelly..." It was no secret he had sexual prowess, but she wasn't one to try to inflate anyone's ego... sex with him was damn good and it did usually have her jelly legged for a bit in the wake of good orgasms.

Draco lay with Hermione for a couple of seconds longer after she asked him to get one of their wands before he finaly nodded and pulled back the covers and rolled out of the bed and he stepped on their clothes as he stood up there was a hissing sound then he felt something like needles pierce his calf there was a burning pain when he looked down the snake was still latched onto him. "Bloody hell." Draco grabbed the snake right behind the head and he got it to release him and he held the snake keeping it from getting away. "Bloody hell its a hoop snake." Draco sat back down on the bed and he raised his other hand and his wand came flying and came into his hand and he lit it and he transfigured the lantern on the table into a cage for the snake he put the snake in and locked it in. After he leaned forward and groaned already starting to feel nauseous. "We need to get back to the city." Draco lay his wand on the bed and he picked their clothes up shaking them out to make sure there was nothing else in the before he passed Hermione her clothes and he dressed in his own.

 

Hermione was immediately up when she heard the hissing sound and his subsequent groan of pain. "Oh Merlin! Draco where did it bite you?" Without thoughts of her nakedness, she forced her body to move, shifting and inspecting the wound for a moment. An idea struck her, and she glanced around to make sure there were no other hidden creatures before dashing over to his in suite wardrobe. Returning a moment later with a tie, she made him sit still for a moment and tied it above his wound like a tourniquet. "That will at least help slow the poison. Give me two seconds then we'll get you to the hospital." She took the time to throw her tank top back on along with her pajama pants. She summoned a pair of flip flops so she wouldn't be barefoot and a sweatshirt to throw over her tank before turning back to him. "Are we bringing the snake?"

"It got my calf." Draco watched Hermione as she bound the bite to try and slow the poison and he nodded when she asked if they were going to bring the snake. "yes they might need to see it. Don't forget your wand." Draco put on a pair of slippers that were by the bed and he picked the cage up and he stood taking Hermione's arm after noxing his wand and putting into a pocket in his pajama shirt he shook his head. "You'll need to apparate us I'm too woozy I'll kill us. If I try."

 

The brunette nodded and grabbed her wand, before reaching out to draw him into an embrace while they apparated to the closest magical hospital. Appearing outside, she quickly snagged a wheelchair sitting by the entrance and forced the blonde into it, pushing him in no nonsense and heading right up to the receptionist. "My boyfriend's been bitten by this snake, it's poisonous, please help him!" The woman took one glance over at the blonde wizard holding the hissing snake in a cage she made an overhead page and immediately 3 other nurses were rushing the duo further inside. One immediately took hold of the snake cage and went off with it, while another began to wheel Draco towards a room. Hermione and the third nurse followed right behind them, the woman asking questions that Hermione was trying to answer to the best of her ability.

Draco didn't fight with Hermione as she made him take a seat in a wheel chair as they went into the hospital every second that passed he was feeling weaker and sicker as the venom from the snake worked its way through his body. Once in the room the nurse who had been pushing his wheel chair helped him to lay down on a gurney and she pulled his pant leg up and she inspected the injury taking the tie off his leg the venom had clotted him up so he wasn't bleeding anymore she cleaned and bandaged it. Draco started to have chills and he covered his mouth with his hand obviously about to puke and the nurse didn't hesitate to lift a small trash can to the edge of the bed and move him so he was leaned over it. He heaved up most of what they had eaten for dinner but then the second nurse who had taken the snake entered the room and he had a syringe filled with an anti-venom that would stop the snakes venom from doing anymore damage then it already had and she injected it into a vein in his arm where it would be pumped through his body. It took a few minutes to go into effect it felt like ages but soon enough his trembling chills had gone away and he was left unconcious on the gurney. "That should stop the venom. We will need to keep him here until he wakes up so we can asses the damage. You can stay with him until he wakes up." The head nurse had one of the others take Draco to another wing of the hospital labeled mishaps with magical creatures. She put him in a recovery room with another patient who was sleeping but appeared to be in the very final stages of healing from being burned and was asleep. The nurse had a bit of help from some male nurses to move Draco from the gurney to a larger bed.

 

Hermione felt helpless as she watched the healers work. She nodded her head eagerly when the nurse said she could stay, and once he had been settled on the bed in the new room she drew the privacy curtain and tucked him in. She cast a cushioning charm on the chair by the bed and settled down, reaching out and taking hold of his hand and moving to settle in until he woke up. It was a good thing they were allowing her to stay, because she would have pitched a fit otherwise.

Draco didn't wake up until the next morning and he groaned his head pounding and he looked over and he saw Hermione slumped asleep in the chair that was next to his bed he reached out and his fingers grazed her arm. "Hermione, darling." Every movement was agony he felt like he had fallen off his broom playing quiddich his body was so sore from the venom that had been corseing through his body.

 

Hermione snapped awake as she felt something brush her arm, her fingers immediately going for her wand before she realized just what was going on. "Draco...how are you feeling? Do you need me to get a dr or nurse?" She bit her lip, frowning as she moved to take hold of his hand. He looked like he was in terrible pain, and she felt so bad that there wasn't anything she could do.

"I feel like I've been playing a bad game of quiddich and fell off my broom." He smacked his lips together trying to wet his mouth and frowned. "I'm a bit parched some water would be nice." Draco held Hermione's hand softly for a moment before letting her go. One of the nurses was making her rounds through the floor and she stopped in to check on Draco. "Oh your awake. That's good. I'll go find your doctor so he can check on how your doing." The nurse bustled off to go find the doctor.

She frowned a bit as he let go of her hand, but didn't say anything. Instead she turned her attention to the small bottle of water that was on the little bedside table and grabbed that. She uncapped it and held it out, all while silently nodding at the nurse who was going to get his dr. They didn't have long to wait before a tall Dr strode in, followed by a nurse who made her way over to the bed to check Draco's vitals.

Draco took the water bottle from Hermione and he drank it slowly then he closed the bottle up and soon the doctor came and took the chart from the nurse when she was finished talking his vitals down. "Well Mr. Malfoy your certainly fortunate not to have been on your own in the outback. However now there is the matter of assessing the damage that's been done by the hoop snake." Draco shifted a bit in the bed moving so he was sitting up more the pain he felt starting to fade away now that he was moving around a bit. "What sort of damage?" The doctor didn't hesitate to explain and he didn't waste time trying to cushion the blow. "Most wizards who are bitten by a hoop snake loose their powers completely." "WHAT!?" Draco lost it, "There has to be a way to get them back right? It can't be permanent." The doctor shook his head. "It is permanent. We haven't found a way to reverse the effects of the venom." "No no no. You have got to be lying to me. I've lived with magic my entire life. You can't tell me a bite from a bloody snake could make me a squib. Just like that." "We still don't know to what degree you've lost your magic there's still a chance you could have a good portion of it it's just a matter of where the loss cuts off. And we can easily figure that out." The doctor unclipped a page from the clipboard and he passed it over to Draco it was a list of different spells ranging from a simple lumos to a spell Draco hadn't even seen before. "Casting these spells will help us figure out exactly where your magics been cut off. I'll have a nurse take you to a secure room where it will be safe to use the spells away from our other patients in a couple of minutes. Just take some time to look over that list and calm down I know this is stressful but the test won't help if your too stressed to preform the magic anyway."

 

Hermione frowned as she sat quietly listening to first the Dr, and then Draco's outburst. She thought about reaching out to take hold of his hand, but he seemed so agitated by what was going on she thought better of it. She waited until both the Dr and nurse had left the room before attempting to reach out to her boyfriend, lying her hand on his arm in what she hoped he would perceive as comfort and not pity (because she did not pity him). "Draco...it'll be ok. We'll figure it out. I don't care what they say, I'm sure there has to be a way to reverse any damage... May I see the spell list they want you to do?"

Draco handed Hermione the list of spells after he had looked over it himself. "How is this going to be ok Hermione? How can this be fixed? If I can't do magic anymore I'll never be able to set foot in London again." Draco leaned forward on the bed and he held his head trying to calm down like the doctor wanted him to for the test. He picked the water up from where he had set it down on the bed and he drank a bit only relaxing a little bit. Then the nurse came in with a wheel chair for Draco to sit in and she helped him to relocate from the bed to chair. "Hermione if you would. Please stay here. I don't want you to come." He took the paper with the spells on it back and he looked still like he was quite angry with the situation.

 

Frowning as she perused the spell list, she noted it was indeed a very thorough list, going from most difficult to extremely basic. She tried to reach out again, but the nurse entered at that moment with a wheelchair for him. It was then that he adopted that curt, cold tone with her once more. She bit her lip, mumbling an alright as he was wheeled from the room, slumping down in the chair as he was gone and wiping at her eyes. She had to research this. It was only once the room was empty for a few minutes that she heard a brief cough from the other occupant.

"Seems like yer boyfriend isn't too happy, not that I blame'im... Yer prolly not the biggest fan...but there's another creature in the Outback that can help ya." 

Hermione blinked, wiping her face with her sleeve before cautiously peeking behind the curtain dividing the room. The other gentleman in the bed was older, and staring at her with a wide toothy smile. She hesitated a moment, before finally asking the question now burning her mind. "Do you mind telling me about it sir? If you're up to it..." The man in the bed chuckled before nodding his head, launching into a story all about how he had seen the mythical Fair Dinkum and how it had answered a question for him before it went off into hiding once more. He explained how he too had stumbled across some bad luck with creatures in the vast desert and how he had stumbled upon the Fair Dinkum by chance, but just what to look for in order to find it. As he spoke, Hermione was taking detailed mental notes, so she knew exactly what to look for. She was determined; that could be the answer they sought.

Draco let the nurse take him to the room it had a target set up on one wall for a few of the more difficult spells that were on the list the doctor came into the room just a moment after the nurse had brought Draco in. The doctor sent the nurse away. "Alright let's have you start at the bottom of the list and work your way up." Draco nodded and he looked at the first spell on the list. Lumos one of the easiest charms that Draco knew the only danger was if you focused too hard you could set your wand on fire. Draco took a calming breath before taking his wand out from his shirt and he followed the proper wrist movement and said the spell outloud. "Lumos." His wand lit up dimly like a dying lightbulb. He frowned and said "nox" doing the wrist movement again and the light went out. He looked up at the doctor who nodded for him to try again. He waved his wand again. "Lumos." This time nothing not even a flicker. "I suppose this means it's gone all of it doesn't it?" The doctor nodded. "It would seem so. I'm quite sorry unfortunately as I said before we have no cure." Draco sighed and he tucked his wand away. "What now?" The doctor stood up. "We will keep you here another night just to be sure that your clear of the venom before we release you." The nurse came back and the doctor had her bring Draco back to the room and helped him into the bed again so he could rest.

 

Hermione had just finished thanking Draco's roommate for the information about Fair Dinkum creatures when Draco was wheeled back into the room by the nurse. She moved back to her position at his side of the bed and reached out in an attempt to take his hand once more. "How did it go?" She was almost afraid to ask, what with how quickly he was back, but she supposed there was a quick system in place for the testing. She was excited to share the news about Fair Dinkum with him, but she wasn't just going to spring it on him right away. First she wanted to know how bad the diagnosis really was. If he would talk to her; losing his magic was hard, she could only imagine, but she hoped he wouldn't continue to push her away.

Draco shook his head as hermione came back but he let her take his hand he needed something to keep him from completely breaking down. "It's hopeless Hermione. I can't even cast Lumos anymore. My magic is gone." His eyes bristled with tears that ranged from being scared and sad to anger and frustration but he forced them back wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his pajamas. "They want me to stay one more night then we can leave."

 

Channeling her impulsive inner Gryffindor, the brunette shifted and stood, moving to fiddle with his bed before she was able to figure out how to lower the bars on her side. She motioned for him to scoot over, before climbing into the bed with him and pulling him to her, embracing him tightly. "We'll take it one day at a time. I'm here for you." She let her fingers brush through his hair as she held him, letting him hopefully take comfort from her embrace. "Once you're able to leave we're going back to find another creature. The Fair Dinkum can answer a single question if you find it. We're going to find it, and ask it how to get your magic back. I refuse to believe it's gone just because there is no known cure for hoop snake venom. You shouldn't either."

Draco let go of Hermione's hand and he watched her as she fixed fhe bed so she could get in he rolled onto his side and scooted over as far as he could when she climbed into the bed he wrapped his arms around her waist and lay his head on her chest some of the tears pouring out of his eyes mostly the ones from fear. But he did his best to relax as Hermione's touch comforted him. He listened to what she said and he nodded. "Ok hermione. I'm scared what if I can never use magic again?" Worry was etched across dracos face as he lay on Hermione's chest his tears falling.

 

The curly haired witch continued to run her fingers through her boyfriends soft blonde hair, before shifting to rest her chin against his head and run her fingers down along his shoulders and back now. He was so tense, but she could understand. "Shh...I don't want you to think that way. You're Draco Malfoy, you will be able to do magic again. If we fail we'll just keep trying. You really think I'm going to let you not have magic? You may have been a prat in school but you don't deserve this fate. We will succeed. Even if we fail this time, well, you're rich. Hire the brightest minds, outside of myself of course because you won't need to pay me to research, and we will hunt for an answer." As she spoke she continued to rub her hands soothingly along his spine, keeping her voice soft and soothing. They continued to lie there while a nurse came in, but the minute the woman was going to open her mouth Hermione sent her a nasty glare and shook her head, before motioning to the door with her head. The woman was clearly scared and did as she was bade by the brunette. She didn't know if the woman would be back with reinforcements, but Hermione was prepared nonetheless should they. Her main thought though was helping her boyfriend, and planning how to go about finding a Fair Dinkum in a short amount of time.

Dracos arms tightened around Hermione and he burrowed his face closer to her chest as she comforted him. Slowly he started to relax nodding his head he looked up at Hermione lifting his hand and wiping his eyes dry. "Thank you for staying with me Hermione I wouldn't know what to do in this situation without you." Draco nussled into Hermione's next not noticing the nurse who had come into the room then left at Hermione's glowering.

 

The brunette smiled down at him, kissing him on the forehead before giving him a light squeeze. "I wouldn't leave you to deal with this alone. I care about you, a lot." While she knew it probably would hurt that she didn't say she loved him, she knew that he knew that she did care deeply for him. "Now why don't you get some rest. I'll be right here, I promise. I won't leave." She shifted slightly, getting comfortable herself while she continued to stroke his back soothingly.

Draco nodded when Hermione suggested that he rest. "Thank you Hermione." Draco moved getting comfortable laying against Hermione's body. He enjoyed feeling her hand on his back as he started to slowly fall asleep his body relaxing against hers.

 

Hermione continued to soothingly rub his back long after he fell asleep. She ended up casting a muffalito spell over him so he could have his rest undisturbed when the nurse came back and tried to make her move. Giving the woman a piece of her mind, the woman eventually conceded to Hermione and agreed to let her stay snuggled with her boyfriend without any further incident. Releasing the spelll, Hermione too nodded off for a small nap. She quickly woke again though at the change of shift, prepared to defend her right to console Draco as the nurse gently prodded at him to check his vital signs, but there was no fight this time around.

Around noon a nurse came with a cart that had food she gave Dracos roommate his lunch first then she brought food for Draco and for Hermione putting the food on the bedside table. "Here you should both have some food since you've been in the desert and it will help Mr. Malfoy recover to have some food." The nurse left so that Hermione could wake Draco and have him eat and so she could eat herself. Draco was still curled up against Hermione sleeping.

 

Hermione stirred again, having not truly been asleep like Draco when the nurse came with lunch. She was surprised they brought food for her as well, but thanked the woman before shifting and stretching slightly to uncover what they had brought. There were two sandwiches, two cans of what she guessed were fruit of some kind, and two small bags of potato chips. There were also two other cups on there, possibly pudding cups, but she couldn't be too sure. There was also ginger ale and water for both of them should they choose. Glancing back down, Hermione was hesitant to wake him, knowing he would just be as upset as yesterday, if not more, but she did agree with the nurse. Food would help him recover. With a small sigh, the curly haired witch gently began to rub her boyfriend's back again. "Draco sweetie...lunch is here."

Draco woke up shifting and he rubbed his eyes after Hermione woke him. "Hmm?" He'd temporarily forgotten that he'd lost his powers. Draco looked around. "Where are we Hermione?" Draco remembered they were in the hospital then why he was there and he swore and pulled back the left sleeve on his shirt and sighed a bit to see the spells were still holding. He shook his head. "Why did this happen Hermione?" He looked over and saw the food and frowned. "I don't want to eat I'm not feeling very well."

 

It truly broke her heart to see him so upset once again. Almost as if it had been a nasty dream yet it was real. She nodded her head, before shifting and pulling him into another hug. "I know, but food will help with the nausea. The sooner you're doing better the sooner we can go and find the answer to get your magic back. I have a plan." She released him after a moment and pulled the table over the bed. She popped one of the cans of ginger ale open before taking a sip. "At least try to eat something? For me? I won't let you be without your magic permanently. I'm determined to find a solution."

Draco nodded and he forced himself to eat albeit slowly but he wanted to get out of the hospital as soon as he could so that they could start working on finding a cure some way for him to get his magic back he felt like he was being violated and loosing everything he valued above all else. He took Hermione's hand and squeezed it. "I feel so lost and scared Hermione."

 

Hermione nibbled at her own sandwich, not super hungry either, but knowing that if she didn't eat then he definitely wouldn't eat. She took hold of his hand and gave a small squeeze as she munched on her food, keeping pace with him. "Let's try to look at it in a not so scary way since it's not going to be permanent. How about you pretend that you made a bet with the boys and you couldn't use magic for the duration of our trip in the Outback. If you win the bet then Harry has to ...uh...wear Slytherin colors and admit that he wished he had been cool enough to be sorted into Slytherin?" She didn't know exactly how good of a motivation this would be...but she was trying at least. She was determined they would succeed and get his magic back, she just knew it.

Draco looked at Hermione and couldn't stop himself from laughing a bit at what Hermione suggested. "I'll try to think of it like that." Draco smiled at Hermione a little but he sighed and looked back at the food picking apart his sandwich and eating slowly. "We shouldn't tell any of them about this not Potter or Weasley and definitely not my mother. Not if we can fix this. I don't want them to know."

 

As he chuckled at her attempt the brunette beamed, clearly glad she had gotten him to laugh. Leaning up, she pressed a kiss to his cheek before nodding. "Absolutely nobody will hear about this from me. I swear." Hermione finished off her sandwich before shifting the table momentarily so she could get out of bed. A small 'oof' left her as she stumbled a bit climbing down, but she caught herself quickly. Shaking her foot as she made her way to the in room bathroom, she freshened up a bit before coming back out and moving to climb back into bed with him. "If you need help at any point don't hesitate to ask. If you want me to cast any spells, or even just help you walk across the room to the bathroom I'm here for you...I don't want you to feel like you're a burden in any way, because you're not. You helped me so much with my parents...I want to help you now."

Draco touched his cheek after Hermione kissed him and he smiled a little watching her climb out of the bed so she could use the restroom. He looked down when Hermione climbed back into the bed and tried to tell him things would be ok. "I'm sorry I didn't help your parents more I feel like I've failed you they are no closer to having their memories back now than they were when we arrived."

 

Hermione waved away his response and reached up, tilting his head back to look up at her. She smiled at him and shook her head. "You're wrong. I wouldn't have made as much progress as we have if not for your help. I would have just been another person, but now I have a reason to contact them, even if it is just to follow up and check on their 'progress'. You've been a great help, and once we have your magic back if you're still willing to try again I think you can succeed where I can't." She blushed lightly, before moving to grab the mystery cup. She pulled the top off and smiled, it was tapioca pudding. She was right. Snagging a spoon, she took a bite before holding out the spoon to him. "Want a bite? You have your own, but I know you're not really hungry..."

Draco hugged Hermione before he settled down into the bed laying against her. "I hope truly that we can get my magic back. I want to help your parents I know how important this is for you." Draco frowned a bit as Hermione offered him some of her pudding. "No I'm ok this food is awful. I think I'd just like to rest some more until we can leave."

 

Hermione shrugged, living on what she had lived on during the war this food wasn't the worst she'd eaten. Taking another few bites, she finished and pushed the table aside, before moving to get up once more. "Would you like me to pop back to the tent to get you anything? You're lucky they didn't put you in a hospital gown, but I can grab a change of clothes or something for you? I warded it up pretty well last night, but I just want to check on it. I can take it down if you'd prefer since we're going to be here until tomorrow..."

Draco was disappointed when Hermione climbed out of the bed but he nodded looking at her. "If you would pack the tent up and put it back into my pack then you can bring our things back here. But be careful and make sure not to be hurt by anything while you are gone." Draco reached out and he took Hermione's hand. "Please be careful, I love you Hermione." Draco let go of Hermione's has and he looked very worried he was sure the hoop snakes would have moved on but he couldn't help but be worried anyway there were so many other dangerous creatures out there and he wouldn't be there to protect her.

 

Nodding, the brunette leaned in and gave her boyfriend a quick kiss before she headed into the hallway to apparate away. She wanted to confirm his room number so she could get back quickly. Returning to their campsite, she had her wand drawn just in case. Stepping into the tent, she quickly gathered her bag and his before heading back outside. She began to magically pack the tent and placed it back into his bag before heading back over to the hospital. She was gone maybe a half hour at most. Re-entering the room, she blinked curiously at the lack of a person in the other bed in the room before going back to Draco's side of the room, placing their bags down carefully by the bed and moving to crawl back into the bed with him. "Where'd your roommate go? He was nice."

Draco had settled back down into bed and started to fall asleep when the nurse came and discharged his roommate the man wished him luck finding the fair dinkum and left the room with a flourish. The nurse checked on him before leaving herself and Draco went back to sleep wakeing when Hermione returned. "He was discharged. He wished us luck finding the creature you told me about." Draco shifted so that there was room in the bed and he hugged Hermione when she crawled in with him. "Did everything go alright?"

 

Nodding her head, she snuggled up to him once more, before smiling. "No problems at all. Tent is packed away, and back in your bag, and I've got both our bags. I did pull a few of the books from the library in your tent though. I want to skim through them to see if there might be anything of use on restoring your magic." She figured while he was resting to regain his strength she would do some research on Fair Dinkums and restoring magical ability. He wouldn't remain a squib for long with her on the case. "Did you want to nap again or maybe do something like play a game of exploding snap or another card game?"

Draco smiled at her offer of exploding snap but shook his head. "In general most hospitals frown on exploding snap. They would probably kick you out we'd better not play that. Maybe another card game. Or I have wizards chess in my bag." Draco sat up in the bed and he streached a bit. "I do feel better now after sleeping so much but now I don't think I'll sleep for quite a while."

 

Smiling sheepishly, she nodded with him, agreeing that exploding snap wasn't a smart idea. "We could play chess...I'm not very good at it, but we can play. Surprisingly, Ron is the one who would play circles around myself and Harry...almost everyone really." She moved to climb back out of his bed, before picking up his bag and handing it to him. "Did you want to get up and move around a bit before we start playing? Do you feel up to that?"

Draco nodded as Hermione told him about Rons prowess at the game of chess. "I considered challenging him a few times because I knew he was skilled but i couldn't imagine him agreeing. Maybe he will play now that we are closer." Draco took his backpack and opened it peering in to see if he could locate the chess set without magic it was hopeless he simply had too much in the pack even if it were still organized it would still be impossible. Draco closed the bag zipping it back up and he shifted moving to get out of the bed too. "A quick trip to the lu sounds good I've been laying around all day a bit of moving would be nice. And you'll need to summon the wizarding chess set out of my pack honestly I can't get anything out of that bag without summoning it." Draco slid out of the bed and winced a little his calf was still sore from being bitten he accepted a little help from Hermione traversing the room to the lu before he went in on his own. He relived himself and freshened up a bit splashing a bit of water over his face before he exited the room and made his way back to the bed.

 

The brunette was quick to help him over to the loo when he did move to get up. She noticed his wince and figured the wound was tender, and she was a bit surprised that it wasn't just healed for him. If they didn't heal it before he left then she would; she guessed they had waited to see the effects of the venom before doing so. As he was freshening up she took the time to summon the chess set from his bag, setting it on the bed before heading back over to help him back over to the bed. She sat on the edge of the bed with the table pulled over between them, giving him space to stretch out his legs if he so chose. She had one tugged in, almost as if she were going to sit with her legs folded like a pretzel, and one stretched out in front of her, her bare foot resting by where he sat on the bed. She shrugged at his mention of challenging Ron, as she began to open the box and set the pieces up. "Honestly, he probably would have played you at any point. He would have loved to have beaten you at chess in school. Although, with his temper you could have probably easily distracted him. I've tried, but I don't get under his skin the same way you can."

Draco smiled and he settled into the bed much the same way Hermione had his injured leg out but bent just a little to keep from pulling the tender spot he couldn't wait for them to heal it but he figured they had some sort of procedure in place he would certainly be healed before he left the hospital if not they would certainly regret it he might not have his magic anymore but the name of Malfoy was still not a name you trifled with. Draco smiled at Hermione relaxed and he chuckled at her assesment saying Ron would have played him if he'd asked. "He would have certainly been evenly matched against me I've been playing chess for quite a long time and I'm quite good." Draco set the board up putting the silvery white peices so they were on Hermione's side and the jet black peices on his side. "You can go first Hermione. I'll be easy on you." Draco teased her his hand coming down to rest on her leg that was next to him.

 

Sticking her tongue out playfully at him, the brunette pulled the sleeves of her sweatshirt up as she surveyed the board, trying to figure out what she wanted her first move to be. "I'm not thaaaat bad... I'm just not the greatest strategist. I know what I want to do, but I'm not good at predicting what others are going to do..." Nonetheless, she took her hand and snagged a pawn, moving it foward two spaces in front of her knight to begin the game.

 

Draco smiled and he watched Hermione as she picked her first move. "I used to play with myself durring the summer when I was little and there wasn't anyone around to play with me. I had some very interesting games that way." Draco picked up a knight of his own and moved it so it was on the other side of the pawns. Their game continued for around an hour and a half before Draco had taken nearly every piece off the board that had belonged to Hermione and he checkmated her king. "That was a nice game Hermione." It was getting dark and Draco put away the pieces to the game handing the set to Hermione when he was finished. "If you could try and get that to go back where it belongs in my bag that would be fantastic." A nurse came into the room and she smiled at Draco. "It looks like your doing much better Mr. Malfoy. I'll heal your leg now then in an hour you can leave if you want. We just wanted to make sure you were stable before releasing you." The woman walked over and she cleaned dracos leg with a couple of spells before she healed the injury to where it was like it had never been there except for two circular scars from where the fangs had gone in. "Thank you." Draco watched the woman leave and he sighed. "Just another hour then we can finaly leave."

 

Hermione, despite losing, was content with how long she lasted. Even if he was taking it easy on her. "I'll fix it, don't worry." She helped put the pieces back in the box before standing and stretching to get the box nicely bag in his bag. She ended up casting another spell to organize his bag once more, before doing the same to her own bag once the nurse came in. Settling herself back in the chair once she'd finished, she smiled. "Good. We've got an hour and then we can begin to look. Did you want to go back to the hotel for the night or should we just pop over and check out then we can spend the rest of the time in the tent?"

Draco thought for a moment about what they should do after the nurse had left. "Let's just go check out of the hotel and go. I've had enough rest for now I just want to get my magic back." Draco sighed and he sat looking over at Hermione. "Which books did you take from the tent?"

 

Hermione blinked at his sudden change of subject, before moving to grab her bag to show him. Pulling out the 3 books, she held them out for him. "I found this on rarer magical creatures and was going to see what I could find out further on the Fair Dinkum. Then there's this one which while I know it's dark magic I figured it can't hurt to look through, maybe there would be some kind of counter curse to magic ridding magic. The last one is purely selfish because the story gives me comfort. 'Tales of Beetle the Bard'. I figure you've probably read it since it was in the mini library in your tent, but if you hadn't and wanted a distraction this may be a good one." The brunette blushed a bit, before averting her gaze and she quickly moved to tuck the dark magic book away. She had lowered her voice when mentioning it, but she didn't want to take any chances. They were in a public hospital after all.

Draco leaned forward and he looked at the books that Hermione had gotten and he laughed when she pulled out the Tales of Beetle and the Bard and offered it for him to read. "Of course I've read that every child who was raised around magic had read that. My mother would read it to me before I went to bed when I was little. My favorite was the story of the three brothers. You can see how beaten up those pages are." Draco took the book anyway and he looked fondly at the pages as he turned to the story of the three brothers. "I suppose you had your own stories that your parents read to you before you could read on your own."

 

She did notice how worn the book was, which partially influenced her snagging it from the shelf. She hoped that a familiar loved childhood story would help keep him in good spirits. As he questioned about what her parents would read to her she brightened up. "Oh yes! My parents would read to me all the time. They read classic fairy tales to me all the time. My favorite is Beauty and the Beast. They also read me quite a few other classic novels as well. As I got older I would get more challenging titles. Of course some of the themes in some went way over my head as a child, but later as an adult I could appreciate the different works in a much greater capacity. Have you ever read any fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm Draco?"

Draco had to think about Hermione's question he certainly didn't remember his mother reading him any stories by the Grimm Brothers. "I didn't have them read to me by my mother but I did check a book out of the schools library called Household Stories it was a collection of short stories by them some of them were very strange. I don't think I ever finished and I ended up returning it." Draco closed the book and he handed it back to Hermione to put away in her bag again.

 

The muggleborn nodded her head idly as she took the book and tucked it back away with the others in her bag. "Yeah, they are a little strange. That's why the company called Disney is so popular, or at least one of the reasons. It takes a lot of the gruesome details out of the fairy tales and makes them into movies for people to enjoy that gloss over the horrible details, and usually have happy endings. Maybe one day I'll make you watch one with me." She smiled at her boyfriend, before shifting slightly in the chair and beginning to pack up both bags fully. Before they knew it, the hour had passed and she wanted to be sure they took everything with them they brought, except the snake.

Draco couldn't help but smile at his girlfriend. "Maybe one day when all this mess is resolved." He wasn't only referring to getting his magic back but also to restoring her parents. It had become almost as important to him as it was to her to restore their lost memories. Without his magic he felt like he was failing her.

Hermione smiled, before nodding. She couldn't help but giggle a bit when a nurse appeared with a wheelchair for Draco even though he was fine now. Standard procedure. She watched him settle in before walking alongside as the nurse wheeled him out. Once they were at the doors and he had stood Hermione reached over and grabbed his hand, waiting for him to shift his pack on and get situated and prepared before she apparated them back to their hotel room. The room was neat and clean, and her one suitcase was sitting all lonely in the corner. Grabbing it, she idly pulled it onto the bed before turning to Draco. "Can you check and see if we left anything in the bathroom?" She liked to be thorough. While she was finishing up with the stuff she'd left here, packing up her laptop and some of the clothes she'd put into the suitcase she figured he could do that and then they could head out that much faster.


End file.
